


The Quarantine Tales

by bearbaitbrook



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Best Friends, Eventual Smut, F/M, Famous Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:00:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 87,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26521795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearbaitbrook/pseuds/bearbaitbrook
Summary: Jughead Jones is a well-known child star who would much rather spend his time writing than in the public eye. Betty Cooper is a small-town nobody with big city actress dreams. They meet on the set of Cheryl Blossom's latest TV production, Quarantine Tales and quickly become friends... and maybe something more?
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Jellybean Jones/Sweet Pea
Comments: 29
Kudos: 84
Collections: 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. Auditions

**Author's Note:**

> This story, while LOOSELY inspired by some of the actors and actresses working on the Riverdale set, is NOT real person fiction. This story is Bughead all the way. 
> 
> I'm hoping to do regular weekly updates. I have about eight chapters written already but I am finally starting a new job after taking a year off for grad school and life will be hectic.

“Betty Cooper?” A tall woman with flaming red hair and an equally red dress called out to the small crowd of people anxiously waiting in the lobby of the audition room. “Betty Cooper?”

Jughead looked around curiously, before noticing a woman with a perky blond ponytail and a pastel cardigan sitting on the floor a few spaces over from him. She had her earbuds in, and was thoroughly absorbed in her script. It seemed that she was studying the part for Emma Turnbough, the romantic counterpart of the character he hoped to play, Jackson Fairbanks. He nudged her. “Hey, are you Betty?”

She looked up, startled and glanced around the room. The woman called out “Betty Cooper?” slightly louder. 

“Oh!” the blonde said, looking at him with stunning green eyes. Jughead couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized, and speechless - he momentarily forgot how to breathe. 

“Thats me!” ‘Betty Cooper’ said, half to him, and half to the producer, quickly standing up and dashing over to the door of the audition room. “Thanks!” she called back over her shoulder to Jughead. In her rush, she left her tan coat sitting on the floor. “Wait!” he called quickly, shaking himself out of his reverie. “You left your…”

The door closed behind her. 

“Jacket…” he finished lamely. He signed, kicking himself for his slowness. He had never been one to be taken in just by a pretty face before, or to even notice one before, but there was something about this girl that had left him speechless.

“Get it together, Jones” she mumbled, before picking up her jacket. Quickly glancing around to see if she had been with anyone, he folded the jacket and stuffed it into his backpack.

Hastily turning his attention back to his script, he tried to focus before letting his mind wander to the journey that had led him to this room.

Jughead Jones was discovered at the tender age of 4 years old - his parents, poor and from the wrong side of the tracks - had brought him to several auditions for commercials in the LA area, before one of the casting directors fell in love with his dark hair and innocent way of asking pert questions. First came a small role in a film opposite Sierra McCoy, playing the adopted child of a small-town mayor, then a small recurring sitcom role. When he was 9, he landed the starring role on _Campfire Days,_ cementing him in the world of child actors, playing a precocious summer camper with a propensity for landing himself in trouble. He, along with Stephen “Sweet Pea” Phillips, Toni Topaz and Juaquin DeSantos grew up together on the show, watching as their characters aged from immature kids who liked inventing ways to dump their camp counselors in the lake, to teenage counselors themselves. 

While he wouldn’t trade his time on _Campfire Days_ for anything, he always felt like he had missed out on a normal childhood - growing up he spent more time away from his family, including his 5 years younger sister Jellybean, than he did with them, and he was admittedly a little jealous of those around him who could go to a movie without worrying about pictures popping up in tabloid magazines. When his mother left him with his alcoholic father, bringing Jellybean with her, it was splashed across gossip magazines for months, leading him to creative writing in his desperation for a creative outlet that would give him the anonymity that he craved, even just for a moment. 

He had thought about taking time off from the business when _Campfire Days_ ended, but ultimately listened to his manager, who had warned him that any time away from acting would destroy his career, and instead attended an online college, earning a degree in creative writing while also taking a few medium sized roles in several movies. Two New York Times bestselling novels (published under a pseudonym, and one well publicized, failed relationship with actress Sabrina Spellman later, Jughead was once again thinking about leaving acting behind him permanently. He was once again growing increasingly disenfranchised with fame, with never having any modicum of privacy in his life, and that, coupled with a hefty dose of the social anxiety he had felt since he was a young child, was enough to make him wonder if he shouldn't step away from acting for good. 

Not normally a big believer in fate, he had finally made the decision to take one last audition for a TV show slated to start production that fall. 

It was Jellybean who sent him the casting call for the pilot of a show called _Quarantine Tales,_ about two twenty-something acquaintances living together during the 2020 Coronavirus quarantine/pandemic. He decided that if he didn’t get the role, it was the universe’s way of telling him to cut his losses and move into a career as a full time writer - hopefully in time, the public would forget him, and he could live his life with a relative amount of peace and normalcy. 

A text message popped up on his phone, startling him from his thoughts.

_Jellybean Jones: How did your audition go? Pea is coming over for pizza tonight- you want to come over too? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever._

_Jughead Jones: I’m still waiting - they haven’t called me in yet. But I’m in for pizza - and don’t blame me… blame the paparazzi who can’t even let me go over to my own sister’s place without getting stalked._

_Jellybean Jones: yeah, yeah, yeah big bro. Maybe you should get a pair of glasses with a fake mustache attached and a trench coat to make yourself more inconspicuous :p Come over after your audition and we can catch up._

“Jughead Jones?” The same casting lady was back, this time calling his name. Jughead glanced around, hoping to see “Betty Cooper” coming out of the door behind her, and was disappointed to see that she must have left out of the back door. At the sound of his name, several people glanced up in recognition, and several sets of fingers began moving on their phones. 

“That’s me” he said, fingers quickly texting his sister

_Jughead Jones: My turn, see you soon._

_Jellybean: Good luck!!_

He shoved his phone in his pocket, and hurried after the woman.

***

Later that afternoon, Jughead was inhaling slices of pizza with Jellybean and Sweet Pea. He looked away as Sweet Pea pulled JB in for a quick kiss as she passed him another slice of pizza. They had been dating for about a year, and while Jughead wasn’t thrilled about the five year age difference between them, he did have to admit that they made a cute couple and acknowledged that he knew that one of his best friends was going to treat his sister the way that she should be treated. Besides, he _had_ been the one that introduced them - JB had insisted that she and Jug stay connected through weekly visits when she went to live with their mom a few towns over, and many of those visits ended up taking place on set due to Jughead's busy schedule. Jellybean had been a regular visitor on set and she and Sweet Pea had quickly become friends… and then something more once she had turned twenty. 

“How did your audition go, Fucker?” Sweet Pea asked as Jughead inhaled his third slice of pizza. Jughead was always hungry, probably a result of all of the press events that he ended up at throughout his childhood - they always took place over meals but the talent was always expected to talk and perform, rather than eat. “Did the universe tell you what your next move is?” Sweet Pea asked in a mocking tone and Jughead flipped him off in response before answering.

“I’m not totally sure,” Jughead admitted.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Jellybean asked. “The universe is either going to tell you ‘yes’ or ‘no’ - there is no ‘maybe, check back later,’ Jug.”

“I was a little… distracted.”

“What do you mean distracted?” Jellybean’s voice was filled with intrigue. “You got distracted while the universe was trying to tell you its grand design?” She shook her head and clicked her tongue at him. “Spill big bro.” 

“The universe might have been… giving me a different sign. There was this girl at the auditions. She had blond hair and the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen. I swear, I forgot how to breathe for a minute.”

“Wait” Sweet Pea interjected. “You, Jughead Only Had One Serious Girlfriend Ever Jones, quote 'I don’t really notice girls Sweet Pea,' _noticed_ a girl - no, not only noticed her, but noticed that she was breath-takingly pretty? I’m in shock Jug! No other universe sign needed!” Sweet Pea, not one for moderation, jumped up, ran over the open window and called out, loudly “Thank you Universe!”

“Har har very funny asshole” Jug mocked as Jellybean choked on her drink as she laughed. 

“I don’t know what it was,” Jughead admitted after Jellybean had calmed down and Sweet Pea was sitting on the couch once again. “There was something about this girl - it was like I had this _need_ to get to know her… anyway, she left her jacket at the audition and I stupidly put it in my backpack, but didn’t think through how I was actually going to get it back to her. And, no, before you ask, I didn’t get her number.”

Jellybean and Sweet Pea burst out laughing. “So… not only did you get distracted by a pretty girl while you were waiting for a sign from the universe… but then you stole her jacket? Jug, are you sure that this isn’t a sign from the universe that you’re about to turn into a creepy horror movie stalker?” Jellybean looked at him slyly and he gave her a dirty look in return.

He nodded miserably. “I know… it sounds so fucking creepy! On the off-chance that I do see Betty again, she’ll probably pepper spray me and call the cops!”

“Wait - you have her name?” Jellybean asked quickly, her fingers twitching as she grabbed her phone. Her social media stalking skills were impressive.

“It’s Betty Cooper,” Jughead replied. “But I’ve already looked - I can’t find her anywhere. Besides, what would I say? Hi, I’m the idiot from auditions today who stole your jacket and couldn’t breathe when I looked at you? Yeah. That would go over well.”

“I mean, dude, you are _Jughead Jones_. That does hold a little bit of weight” Sweet Pea said.

“But Pea, I don’t want a girl to like me because I’m Jughead Jones, the childhood TV star. I want a girl to like me for who I am now… a coffee-addicted writer who spends way too much time watching true crime documentaries, has a beanie that quite literally never leaves his head and a dog named Hotdog because he let his little sister name him. I want someone who knows _me,_ not the me that the media has created. I _liked_ that she didn’t seem to recognize me at the audition, or at least pretended not to recognize me. After all of the shit that went down with Sabrina, I want someone who is normal and grounded and down to earth, not someone who is using me to boost their own popularity.”

“I get that, man” Sweet Pea said, nodding. “I guess you’re right… before JB and I got together, I wanted the same thing, and then it fell into my lap and you’re right… when you have that, it’s perfect.”

“Dude, I really don’t need to hear anything sappy going on between you and my sister” Jughead grins. “Hand me another piece of pizza, would you?”

Jellybean rolled her eyes, but handed her brother a piece of pizza, as requested. 

***

Betty Cooper hoped that she didn't look as nervous as she felt. She was, after all, an actress and should be able to act confident, even if she was quaking with fear inside.

This audition was one of probably forty or fifty that she had went on since she moved to Los Angeles four years ago, and she was about to give up her dream of acting and find a job that would actually allow her to contribute to a retirement plan, or even live more than month to month when supplemented by the income she made at the hipster coffee bar ten minutes from her house, Cool Beans.

The floor of the audition waiting room was cold against her legs, the freezing temperature of the concrete just barely cut by the tan jacket that Betty sat on. There were plenty of seats around her, but she preferred the coolness of the floor, finding that it helped ground her mentally against the anxiety threatening to rise up, a pit already developing in her stomach, her nails already threatening to dig into her palms. She had been waiting, earbuds in, at a local casting call for a new Cheryl Blossom drama called _Quarantine Tales_ for over an hour now, and she was beginning to wonder if they had forgotten about her. "They forgot all about you, Elizabeth" a sharp voice said in her head, sounding suspiciously like her mother, Alice Cooper. "Better just give it up now and move home and come work as a secretary at the Register while you gain some _worthwhile_ job experiences."

Betty's mother had been decidedly against her moving to LA to pursue acting when she turned 18, all but shoving the door closed behind Betty's suitcase and effectively cutting Betty off in the hopes that her tactics would convince her daughter to stay in Riverdale and attend college in journalism before coming to work for her at the local paper, _The Riverdale Register._ Little did Alice Cooper know, though, that her actions just made Betty more determined to succeed out West, away from the hopes and impossibly high expectations of her mother. She had packed her bags and came to LA without looking back, following her friend Kevin who had moved the year before to attend UCLA. Now, he had scored a gig as a lighting technician for _Quarantine Tales_ and would be leaving in a few months for Seattle, with or without her, only amplifying Betty's desire to land a role on the show.

Betty glanced around nervously, soothing her hands against the jean skirt she was wearing, in an attempt to prevent her fingers from curling inward. There were a few girls, all with the same messy bun, blazer and t-shirts that instantly decried that they were going more of the 'method' route of reading for Emma Turnbough, while several of the boys, most likely auditioning for either Jackson or Liam tried to catch her eye flirtatiously. She looked away, unwilling to be distracted by what were sure to be bad attempts at flirting. A dark haired boy - man, really - sitting in the corner caught her attention. He was staring intently at his phone, crown shaped gray beanie pulled over his thick, slightly curly hair. Betty quickly looked down as he turned towards her, not wanting him to catch her staring, and she couldn't help but notice how striking his blue eyes were, contributing to what Betty had to call an unbelievably handsome face. "He looks like Jughead Jones" she thought to herself, peering up at him surreptitiously through her eye lashes. She doubted it, knowing that a celebrity like Jughead Jones would most likely not be slumming it in the common audition room with the rest of the hopeful talent, but she couldn't help but pull her phone out to text Kevin anyway.

_Betty Cooper: Kev… there's someone here that looks just like Jughead Jones._

_Betty Cooper: I've been here an hour and they haven't called me in yet…_

_Kevin Keller: Pics or it didn't happen!_

_Betty Cooper: No! Kev, that's super weird, even if it is Jughead Jones - privacy is a real and highly important thing, you know._

_Kevin Keller: Fine :P But don't be nervous - Cheryl mentioned in her last email to the crew that there were a lot of people auditioning for the four main roles, so it might take some time. Besides - Cheryl knows that I would have some choice words for her if she forgot about my bestie._

_Betty Cooper: Thanks Kev <3 _

_Kevin Keller: Knock 'em dead Betty Boop!_

Betty felt a bit better and turned her attention back to her script, forcing herself to focus on becoming Emma Turnbough, who with her love of books and baking, had more in common with Betty than it might appear, given Emma's edgier attire that typically contrasted with Betty's classic skirts and sweaters. She turned the music playing in her headphones up a bit louder and reread through her script, forcing herself to take deep, calming breaths to prevent the anxiety from overcoming her.

It must have worked better than Betty had anticipated because the next thing she knew, the handsome boy from the corner was tapping her shoulder. She looked up, surprised. He looked even more like Jughead Jones up close than he did from a few seats away - in fact, if Betty didn't know any better, she would swear that it _was_ Jughead Jones.

"Are you Betty Cooper? They're calling you name." The redheaded casting director, Cheryl most likely, called her name loudly. 

Betty instantly felt a surge of panic rush over her, partially from almost missing her name being called, partially because this was it! "That's me!" Betty called loudly, partially to Cheryl, partially to the Jughead doppelganger. She quickly scooped up her bag, phone, and script and rushed to the door that Cheryl was holding open.

"Thanks!" she called back over her shoulder, completely missing that her jacket was still lying on the ground where she had been sitting previously. She thought the dark-haired stranger had called something after her, but the door had swung shut before it registered in her brain.Cheryl led her through a hallway, making a few turns, before leading her into a mid-sized room that was empty, save for a few chairs with people sitting in them, and one long table.

"Whenever you're ready" Cheryl said briskly. 

Betty took a deep breath, forcing her speeding heart rate to slow, and then spoke: "My name is Betty Cooper, and I'll be reading for Emma Turnbough."

"How'd it go?" Kevin asked as Betty opened the door to their little two bedroom apartment an hour later. Betty winced when she saw the state of the normally small but tidy kitchen, an indicator that Kevin had attempted to cook something instead of letting her feed them both.

She nudged her shoes off of her feet and then disappeared into her bedroom to change into a pair of pajama shorts. "I think it went well" she called out through her open door. "I at least remembered all my lines this time. I think it helps that Emma and I are so similar - I don't have to do a ton to get into character with her. But, we'll see how it goes. If this one doesn't work out, Kev, I don't know. I think it might be time to find a different life goal. If I don't start saving some money, I'm not going to be able to retire until I'm dead."

"But acting is your _dream_ , Betty!"

"And sometimes dreams change." Betty shrugged. "Maybe this is the universe's way of telling me to move on."

Kevin was silent for a moment, contemplating if there was anything he could say to change Betty's mind. He decided that there wasn't and changed the subject, hoping to distract Betty from her thoughts about giving up instead. "Did you take a picture of the Jughead Jones lookalike?"

"No, Kev, because that's creepy." Betty finished changing and sat down next to her roomate, redoing her now messy ponytail in the process.

"Well then, I don't believe you."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Kev, you're ridiculous."

"But you love me."

"Based on the state of our kitchen, I'm not sure if I do anymore."

"I was going to clean it up in a minute!" Kevin whined.

"Did you at least make something good?"

"Well… if you think that burnt cookies are good, then yes. I was actually hoping I could convince you to make them again while I keep you company. I am, after all, leaving in a few weeks."

Betty huffed at Kevin but held her arms out to be pulled off of the couch. "How long are you going to keep milking that, Kev?"

"Until you get the role and move with me, so that I never have to be without your cookies. That's really the only option."

"We'll see, Kev. We'll see."


	2. Results

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead meet once again at a Quarantine Tales chemistry read. Will there be chemistry between more than just their characters?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned on waiting to post this until Thursday... but I'm posting early because my new job starts tomorrow and I know that I'm going to be exhausted all week. It was supposed to start last week but it was delayed due to unhealthy air quality (every time I think I've seen it all, 2020 laughs and says 'watch this'). 
> 
> I have absolutely no knowledge of how TV show casting or audition processes work, so please be kind.

"RIIIIINNNGG!" Jughead's phone rang loudly three days after his audition, startling him out of the chapter he was writing for his newest novel. He scrubbed a hand over his eyes, tired from spending several hours staring at a computer screen, and looked at the number. His beanie had fallen off at some point during his writing process, probably the result of his running his hands through his hair one too many times. Frowning, he pulled it back on and answered the phone.

"Hello?" He didn't recognize the number.

"Jughead? This is Cheryl."

"Oh… hi."

"I have a lot to do, so I'm going to be brief. We want you for the role of Jackson Fairbanks - we think that you're absolutely perfect, and we could see you working well next to the three people we are thinking about for Emma. Are you in?"

"Oh, um, yeah. Yes. Of course!" Apparently the universe was speaking to Jughead. Actor he would be, at least for a few years longer. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Great. This is a bit last minute, but I'm sure you can make it work. We need you to come in this afternoon, say around two, to do a chemistry read with the three girls we are thinking about for Emma."

In his years in Hollywood, Jughead had heard quite a bit about Cheryl Blossom, although he had never worked with her. She had grown up in a small town in Northern California, one of the two heirs to her father's winery empire. Her parents, and Cheryl included, had lost everything when her twin brother, Jason, had exposed the shady under the table dealings that their father had with the mob, and their father had burned his empire to the ground before taking his own life, leaving Cheryl, Jason, and their mother effectively penniless. Cheryl had risen from the ashes, first as a famous social media influencer, and later as one of the most successful and sought after television directors in Hollywood. 

"Oh, um, sure. I can make that." Jughead actually had plans to finish this latest chapter and get it to his publisher, but it was well known that "no" was not an acceptable answer to give to Cheryl, and that she always got what she wanted, whether it was an inconvenience to someone else or not. 

"Great. Same place at two. I'll email you a few pages of the script that we're going to be working with. Read them over before you get here."

And then she hung up. Jughead sent a quick text to his publisher, apologizing for the delay, and then saved his latest chapter before opening up his email, finding the script. 

His heart beat nervously at the amount of chemistry that Jackson and Emma had together as he read - in this scene, there was an almost-kiss between Jackson and Emma that was a result of some introspection about the relationship the two of them had developed during quarantine. Inwardly, as he studied the script, Jughead wondered if he was the right person to play Jackson, and whether the person picked to play Emma would be someone he could easily work with and build energy off of. Maybe it was a little ridiculous, but Jughead couldn't help but hope that 'Betty Cooper' might be playing the Emma to his Jackson. There was something about her, something he couldn't quite place, that gave him a good feeling about her.

The alarm on his phone rang, jolting him from the script and his uncertain thoughts. He shoved the newly printed script in his backpack, double checked that “Betty Cooper’s” jacket was still folded at the bottom - it might be creepy, but he should at least attempt to return her coat, seeing as he stole it, and this was as good of an opportunity as any- before locking the door and heading to the casting building. 

An hour later, he pulled into the mostly empty casting building parking lot and rushed off of his motorcycle - he was late, thanks to a nasty pileup on the freeway. Panting and out of breath, Jughead ran into the building via the backdoor, as he had been instructed in the email that Cheryl had sent. 

“Sorry I’m late!” he yelled to the 10 people assembled in the room. “I got stuck in traffic.”

"It's fine," Cheryl said, obviously not fine with it. "Are you ready?"

“As I’ll ever be” Jughead wheezed, trying to catch his breath and mentally adding ‘exercise more’ to his to-do list, as he pulled his script from his bag. “Where do you want me?”

“Go ahead and sit at the table with the laptop over there. As you have probably seen from this script, Jackson is an editor who also happens to be a writer.” Jughead bit back a grin - he was like Jackson in many ways… looks, personality, and unknown to the producers, in hobbies. “In this scene, he is working on the latest chapter for his book, and his new roommate turned friend, Emma, comes to his room late one night to bring him some coffee to fuel his latest writing streak. Jackson and Emma have slowly been falling in love with each other after deciding to quarantine together to prevent infecting their respective roommates after being exposed to the Coronavirus. Neither one of you realizes that your feelings are returned, resulting in quite a bit of angst and pining, if I do say so myself. If the pilot gets the green light, this scene will be 2 or 3 episodes in. After this episode, Jackson has to rush out of the country to be with his sister who is fighting for her life in the hospital, and that's when things really take off for Jackson and Emma. Make sense?”

“I think so. I’m ready when you are.”

The first two girls seemed nice enough, but, in Jughead’s opinion, were nothing to write home about. And, there was a distinct lack of chemistry between them - in fact, it was just plain awkward and clumsy. The first of the girls kept giggling whenever she looked at him while the other seemed a nervous wreck the entire way through. 

“Ok Jug, this is the last one” Cheryl said. “Go ahead and reset." Jughead took a moment to shift in his seat, facing the black laptop screen, body turned away from the door. 

“Alright, let’s bring her in.”

Jughead began to pretend type nervously, straining to see the reflection of whoever was coming in behind him on the computer screen. He tried not to get his hopes up - after all, he hadn't seen her audition. For all he knew, maybe she was a horrible actress, or maybe she would be great but had a jealous boyfriend at home who wouldn't appreciate Jughead acting like a crazy stalker. He needed to focus - on this audition, and on the career that the universe was obviously telling him that he should have. 

A quiet, breathy voice broke through his internal dialogue.  _ “Jay?” _

_ He turned around quickly and a small smile broke out across his face. “Hey Emma.” _

It was her - she was here, and his mouth was dry, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a perky blonde ponytail again - she emanated the “girl next-door” stereotype, with her cardigan and skirt and white Keds, different than Emma’s typical graphic t-shirt, skinny jeans and blazer look, but Jughead was once again drawn to her as he stared, his cheeks quickly heating up as he felt her eyes examining him as well. 

_ She gave him a nervous smile, holding out the mug that was in her hands. “I thought you might need some coffee - it’s pretty late but it sounds like you’re on a writing streak.”  _

_ “I… I do, thanks” he stuttered, reaching to grab the cup from her hand. A jolt of electricity bolted through his fingers as they touched her, and judging by the look on her face, she had felt it too. She sat down on the chair next to him, both of her feet up on the chair with her. “What’re you writing about tonight?” _

_ “Oh, this and that - nothing too specific. I have an idea for a character that I've been fiddling around with, but she doesn't fit anywhere in the book yet.” He shrugs. _

_ "What's she like?"  _

_ "She's always the smartest person in the room, but you'd never know it if you looked at her - she tries so hard to be invisible, but people can't help but notice her. And she's kind; she's willing to admit that she's been wrong and apologize for it if she needs to. She loves books of all kinds, and rom coms and Pink Floyd." _

_ "She sounds kind of familiar," Emma teased him gently. _

_ "Yeah, you might have inspired this one" Jackson admitted, face flushing red.  _

_ "I mean - we have been spending quite a bit of time together" Emma continues, her eyes roaming over the computer screen that Jackson handed to her, allowing her to peruse the character at her will. _

_ "Mmhmm, we have" Jackson agreed. "Like, literally three weeks ago we barely knew each other, and now we're living through a freaking pandemic, we're living together, we're friends, and…" _

_ "And?" _

_ "And… I guess, I just like the changes a lot more than I thought that I would." _

_ "As much as the world has changed in the past few weeks, I definitely think that most of the changes have been good, Jay. I mean, we didn’t really know each other, and then we got exposed and Lucas and Kat didn’t want us living with them, so we moved into my apartment and obviously we know each other now and we get along well and we talk about things and we write together and we…” _

_ “Emma, you’re babbling." _

_ “Sorry, I just… sorry.” _

_ “Nothing to be sorry about. I’m glad this situation happened, believe it or not. I’m glad we got the chance to know each other, more than just as the best friend of our roommate’s significant other who is sometimes around. It’s nice." _

_ It is nice" Emma agreed. "You know, us being friends and I feel like I can talk with you and I trust you and I feel safe with you and...” she leans closer still.  _

_ “You're babbling again” he smirked, before leaning into her, almost, but not quite touching her. He looks into her green eyes, seeing nervousness, but also, a hint of something else.  _

Jughead wonders what she sees in his eyes, before noticing that her eyes have dropped to his lips. __

_ Jackson's eyes drop to hers, and he hears her quick intake of breath as he suddenly grabs one of her hands with his. His heart begins to race as his hand begins to slide up her arm towards her cheek when… _

_ *RING* _

_ Emma’s phone rings loudly. They both startle and jump apart, cheeks red.  _

Jughead honestly isn’t sure how much of what just happened was Jackson, and how much of it was him. He mentally curses and thanks the producers for the timing of the phone call. 

_ “I… um… I… this is Katie,” Emma squeeks out. “I need to take this.”  _

_ “Yeah, sure. Go ahead. I’m… um… I’m going to keep writing.” _

He watches her walk out of his “room” and into the space designated as “hers” in the open space of the audition room. 

_ She answers the phone with a small smile on her lips, her eyes trained on his. “Hey Kat… no, no, you’re fine… yes, I’m fine. I was just talking with Jay.” A blush lights up her cheeks and she brings her hand up to her lips, before she admits “Something’s changed between us. I could swear we almost… no, nevermind. That would be crazy. So, how are you?” _

Cheryl clapped her hands loudly, startling both Jughead and Betty. “Fabulous! Excellent! Well, that’s all we need to see from the both of you. Betty, we’ll be in touch. Jughead, thanks for coming in. We appreciate it!”

Betty made a quick exit from the room, but as Jughead went to follow her, the executive producer stopped him.

"Jughead, do you have a minute to chat really quickly about some of the stylistic elements for Jackson?"

Jughead looked around the man just as the door slammed shut behind Betty. Internally, Jughead groaned before saying "yeah, sure. What are your thoughts?"

Ten minutes later Jughead exited the building, hoping to see a blond ponytail, and was disappointed to see no trace of her. Jughead's heart fell as he looked around the parking lot before finally moving towards his motorcycle.

"Dammit" he swore, starting the bike He was running out of chances to talk with this girl. But with how the chemistry read had gone… Jughead's breath caught in his throat. "I think the universe definitely answered" he thought out loud. 

Feeling slightly better, he peeled out of the parking lot and headed back to his apartment.

***

Late for her shift at a nearby coffee shop, Betty left the audition room quickly, regretting that she didn't have a chance to talk with Jughead. Jughead Jones, her first celebrity crush, the boy in the show that she would watch religiously every week - she might get to  _ work _ with him!  _ He  _ was the man who had made sure she noticed her audition call. Betty couldn't believe that she hadn't recognized him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Betty" she mumbled as the sounds of her mother's warnings about the chances of Hollywood success filled her head. "You might not even get the part, they said there were 2 other girls they were considering. Don't expect anything… and besides, he's a Hollywood star. He won’t be interested in some little nobody like you - especially not someone who didn't even recognize him and say thank you when he saved your ass.”

Deep down, Betty knows that this is her mother talking, but she couldn't help but clench her fingernails into her palms for a minute before exiting the parking lot, speeding slightly in the hopes of making it to work sooner rather than later.

Later, after a shift from hell, she walked into the apartment. 

"Kev? You home?" Betty called as she walked in the entryway of their tiny two bedroom apartment. 

She stopped in the cramped kitchen/dining room/living room space and peeled off her keds before flopping on the "new to them" couch they had bought at a thrift store last year. She could see through her opened bedroom door and winced at the unmade bed and clothing scattered across the floor, directly contrasting with her room's normal 'catalogue-esque' appearance - a mess that was representative of how her nerves had affected her mental state this morning. 

Kevin came out of his bedroom and into the living space, took a look at Betty's face, and went straight to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine. Pouring her a glass and handing it to her before pouring one for himself he asked "Rough day?"

"Long day" Betty corrected, taking a large drink from her glass. "I had a callback/chemistry read for the  _ Quarantine Tales  _ spot, immediately followed by a shift from hell at the coffee shop. And I was late for work because the audition ran long and got chewed out by my boss, and I was frazzled so I kept screwing up drinks and I had so many customers yell at me because I made the drink wrong, or took too long making them a new one and..."

"Whoa slow down" Kevin said sympathetically. He motioned to her wine glass, "Drink," knowing very well that if he didn't give Betty a distraction to help get her out of her own head, things would only get worse. She took a big gulp, and her shoulders relaxed a bit. "Now tell me three positive things that happened today." It was a trick they had picked up from one of his old boyfriends, who happened to be a psychology student, and it was a miracle trick when Betty's anxiety was causing her to spiral, afraid that she had ruined everything about hers, or someone else's, day. 

"You first" she said, stalling. Three good things always made her feel better, but Alice Cooper had ingrained hostess skills in her so well that Betty still had a hard time talking about anything to do with herself without first asking about the other person.

"1. I found a gluten free pizza place today at lunch that will blow your mind. 2. I have a date with someone on Saturday that I met online and 3. My best friend lives with me."

"Kev, that last one has been an everyday occurrence for the past several years."

"And everyday for the past few years, it has been one of the good things about my day. Now stop stalling and go."

Betty smiled at her roommate and then stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "I got to Facetime with Junie and Dag today, and Polly said that they'd made me something that they were mailing to me." 

Kevin held up one finger, smiling. "Is a Junie and Dag homemade present something that you would actually want?"

"I'm going to go with no… but the thought was very sweet." Juniper and Dagwood were Betty's twin niece and nephew who lived with her sister back in New York, in what Polly called a 'collective living community, and what Betty called a cult. Still, she loved them both dearly and she talked with them every chance she could - they loved their weekly "Auntie B" face time dates. 

"Two?"

"Two.. um… I went for a run this morning and I saw the cutest dog."

Kevin smirked at her and ticked up another finger. "It's the little things, Kev" she responded. "Ooh, and three - the chemistry read went well - I think I might have actually gotten the part!" Betty looked hopeful and excited, and then her face fell. "But I'm getting ahead of myself and I know that I shouldn't expect anything and…"

Kevin tapped her wine glass again. She took another drink. "Betty, honey, you know that that is just Mama Cooper talking. I know in my heart of hearts that you nailed that audition. I helped you run lines, remember? I know that you are a brilliant actress, and they would be lucky to have you!"

"You're right - I need to think positive."

"Atta girl" Kevin said fondly. "Also, when were you planning on telling me that JUGHEAD JONES, as in  _ Campfire Days,  _ our favorite feel better binge tv show JUGHEAD JONES will be playing the part of Jackson? Which means that 'pics or it didn't happen' guy at auditions was actually Jughead Jones? Which means that you might be playing his love interest? And that means you had a chemistry read with him today?? OMG Betty Cooper! Spill please."

Betty blushed. "I can’t believe that he got the part - I mean, did you ever imagine, when we were kids, that we would get to work with the kid that played Noah Finnigan on our favorite show? I hope that he’s as nice and laid back as he seems in all of the interviews that I’ve watched and read. And his hair is a bit longer than he used to wear it, but he still has the beanie and it looked really… um anyway, something instantly clicked between us when we ran the scene. I mean, way better than it's ever gone when you and I have done it. When I handed him the cup, I swear I could feel it all the way up my arm."

Kevin gasped. "Betty Cooper! Does someone perhaps have a crush on a new potential co-worker?"

"Kev!" Betty blushed. "I don't even want to think about something like that. He’s already so famous, what would he ever want with a nobody like me? And besides… dating a coworker has the potential to be so… awkward. What if we were to go on a few dates and it didn’t click and then it got super weird. Or worse, what would happen if we were together for a bit and then broke up? I would still have to be around him every day! It would be so awkward… and everyone would be all up in our business all the time."

"But he is cute… right?"

"No comment" Betty giggled. "But… I've had a very bad day, and I already have a glass of wine, and we've done our three good thoughts, so the last part of our equation is  _ Campfire Days _ . Maybe one of the newest seasons."

"Betty Cooper, you totally have a crush."

"Shut up!"

***

Two days later, Betty's phone rang in the middle of her break at the coffee shop. She didn't recognize her number, and thought about declining the call - it had been a hectic morning, and she wasn't really in the mood to deal with whoever was on the other end - but she accepted the call anyway.

"Betty Cooper" she answered, her well-bred Cooper manners showing themselves at every opportunity.

"Betty? This is Cheryl."

"Hi Cheryl. How are you?"

"I'm well. Listen, I have some news for you on your audition for Emma in  _ Quarantine Tales _ ."

"Here it comes," Betty thought. Her fingers dug into her thigh in an attempt to quell the feeling of heartbreak and disappointment that were sure to follow. "This is it, Elizabeth. This is the last one. After today, you are finding a real job, with a forty hour work week and regular, 8-5 business hours, and you're going to make a real career out of something else. You're going to…"

"The other producers and I are pleased to offer you the role of Emma Turnbough."

"You're going to find a job that pays you real money so that you can…"

"Wait - what?" Betty asked Cheryl, sure that she had heard her wrong.

"I said that we are offering you the role of Emma Turnbough."

"Oh my God" Betty breathed, hardly able to believe her ears. "You're serious?"

"Of course I'm serious - why would I waste time joking about this?"   


"Right - sorry!" Betty said quickly, not wanting to piss off her director already.

"You'll be hearing from us with more information in the next day or two, but we'll need you in Seattle to start pre-production on the 15th." Betty's eyes flitted to the calendar in the breakroom - the 15th was less than a month away.

"Great. Thank you. Thank you, so much!"

"You're welcome." Cheryl's tone softened slightly. "We're glad to have you on board. Someone will be reaching out to you shortly with more information." 

Cheryl hung up abruptly, and Betty pinched herself as she set down her phone, unable to believe what had just happened. Happy tears began streaming down Betty's face and she quickly punched Kevin's number in her speed dial.

"What's up, Betty Bee?" he answered, sounding slightly concerned. "Are you ok? I thought you were at work?"

"Kev, I got the part!" Betty breathed with a laugh.

"You got the part??"

"I got the part!! I can't believe it!" 

"I can," Kevin replied loyally. "Ready to take Seattle by storm?"

"You know it."

The next month was a whirlwind for Betty - she put in her two weeks notice before the end of her shift after she heard from Cheryl and spent the remaining time wading through a flood of pre-production emails, packing her bags, and saying her goodbyes, all while stubbornly ignoring her mother's advice to "watch your weight and make sure you run everyday, Elizabeth. If you gain too much weight they might replace you." (Kevin brought back cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory when Betty texted him that bit of Alice Cooper advice, and wouldn't take no for an answer.)

On the day of her flight to Seattle, Betty looked one last time around her bedroom. There wasn't much left- while the series didn't officially have a greenlight yet since the pilot hadn't been shot, Cheryl had said that she had done enough of these pilots to know that this one would get the go ahead. She told Betty to pack her bags accordingly. Double checking that she had cleaned out her closet of everything she could possibly need in Seattle, Betty suddenly remembered that she had never found her tan jacket.

"I'll have to get another one in Seattle" she mused, before grabbing her last suitcase and walking into the living room.


	3. Roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty arrive in Seattle and meet Archie and Veronica for the first time. Featuring Veronica trying to make Jughead uncomfortable. Because that's my favorite :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might notice that I took the prologue out of the first chapter - I think a lot of people were freaked out by it... I think I'll add it as a "prequel" work to this one, because I do consider it cannon to this world. 
> 
> I may live in Washington state, but the last time I went anywhere close to Seattle was 15 years ago, so please forgive any and all inaccuracies in the descriptions.
> 
> Thank you to those of you who left kudos, comments and bookmarks! Much appreciated

Jughead was exhausted. "That's what you get for deciding to ride your bike from LA to Seattle" he reminded himself as he navigated his bike the last few miles through downtown Seattle to Toni's penthouse apartment where he was crashing that night. He had decided that his bike was one of the only things of his life in LA that he couldn't live without, and didn't trust to have it shipped that far, so he had packed most of his belongings, sans a few days worth of clothes and his computer, into boxes that would be meeting him at his new apartment tomorrow.

Pulling into the parking garage, Jughead cut the engine and took his helmet off, bounding up the stairs, not sure if he was more excited to see his friend or to be off of his bike after three days of travel. The door flung open the moment he knocked.

"Jug!" Toni cried excitedly, pulling him in for a tight hug before wrinkling her nose. "You stink."

"Hey Ton" he replied. "I missed you too."

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you, now go shower - towels are under the sink" Toni said dismissively, grabbing his helmet from him while Jughead hauled his backpack into the bathroom, eager to let the hot water relax and soothe his sore muscles.

When he finally emerged twenty minutes later with a clean pair of flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt on, Toni wordlessly handed him a takeout container of Chinese food. "Oh my God, I've missed you" Jughead moaned appreciatively, flopping down on her couch.

"You would see me a lot more if you came up to visit more often - or, you know - picked up your phone when I called every once in a while!"

Jughead had the decency to look sheepish. "I've been busy?" he offered lamely, knowing full well that Toni wouldn't buy his bullshit excuse. He was right. The look in her eyes said it all.

"You've been busy?" she asked sarcastically. "You can't pick up the phone when one of your oldest friends calls you?"

"I know, I know, I'm a shitty ass friend." "Yeah you are… but I love you anyways. So tell me about this new project?" Jughead filled Toni in on everything she had missed out on since the last time they'd talked - his role as Jackson, what was new with Sweet Pea and JB, the plot line of his newest novel and… "So Sweet Pea mentioned that you had met someone?"

Jughead groaned - he should have known that Sweet Pea would never keep something like that to himself. "I'm going to fucking kill Sweet Pea" Jughead muttered under his breath.

"Your sister also told me too… since, you know, I talk to both of them more than I talk to you." Toni looked at him pointedly. "So spill, Jones."

"There's nothing to spill. I met a girl at auditions, I let her know when it was her turn because she didn't hear Cheryl and then I stole her jacket. And then I told Sweet Pea and JB which was apparently a big fucking mistake since they can't keep their mouths shut."

"It's all done with love, Jug. What's this Sweet Pea told me about your universe thing?"

"I'm thinking about getting out of acting… like, for good."

"Wow." Toni looked impressed. "I'm not going to lie, Jug, getting out was one of the best decisions I ever made. Like, I totally don't regret being on Campfire Days because that's where I met you and Pea and Joaquin… but I really like being able to walk down the street without being stopped every block and asked for my autograph. And I get to go out every day and take pictures which is what really makes me happy. Where did this decision come from?"

"I've honestly been thinking about it for a while. Like, when I was still with Sabrina, I thought about taking time off to go to college, but she and my agent basically told me that my career would be done if I took time away then, so I stayed with it, and I've kind of regretted it ever since. And when I was able to release my book and no one knew that it was me that published it, it was so nice. To be recognized for being good at something in my own right, and not wondering if people just liked it because of what my name is. I don't know… I just get so tired of having my name splashed all over the press, especially whenever Sabrina decides that her name has been out of the news a little too long and tries to dish some new shit from our sham of a relationship. So I was debating giving it all up, to just write and settle down - buy a house, maybe find someone to share all of this with without being worried about how the press will tear them apart. JB sent me the casting call for this role and I decided that this was the last audition - if I didn't get the role, it was the universe telling me that I was done acting. Forever."

"But you got the role… so how are you feeling about that?"

"I'm honestly not sure," Jughead answered slowly. He really wasn't - he wasn't disappointed, per say, that he had the role, but he also wasn't overly enthused. "I think, regardless, that this might be the last role for me."

"So why didn't you turn down the role when they offered it to you?"

"Just… a gut feeling, I guess? You know me, I really don't go for the 'fate' and 'meant to be' fatalistic bullshit, but there's something telling me that this is the right decision for me right now."

"It's not this girl that Sweet Pea told me about, is it?"

"God, Toni, I barely know this girl. Like, I literally have met her twice, and we didn't actually talk either time. Yes, she was pretty - gorgeous, even - but I don't even know if she got the role or not, and besides, I don't want to think about starting up a relationship with someone that I'm working with. It was bad enough with the press when Sabrina and I ended things… could you imagine the heyday they would have if they discovered that I was dating my co-worker? And, God forbid, what do you think they would do if we broke up while we were still filming?"

"That would be bad," Toni agreed, nodding slowly. "So, why is it that you have her jacket with you, then?"

"Sweet Pea is fucking dead" Jughead threatened idly.

"Because apparently I am creepy as shit and thought that it was a good idea at the time."

"Oh, Jones. You sure know how to romance 'em" Toni smirked.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You've spent every minute since I got here interrogating me and digging into my career and non existent love life… what's going on with you?"

"Things are… good… I guess? Like I get to do what I love everyday which is fantastic and no one is bothering me or trying to take my picture twenty for seven, but I don't know how much longer I'm going to stay in Seattle…" Toni trailed off.

"Why would you leave Seattle?"

"I'm lonely, I guess. Don't get me wrong, I have friends here and I love them but all of my chosen family lives in LA and I miss you guys."

"Well, I'm up here for now."

"Yeah, but for how long? And also… Vanessa is here."

Not long after moving to Seattle, Toni had fallen madly in love with another photographer named Vanessa. It had been hot and heavy from the get go, both of them falling hard and fast. They moved in together within six months of meeting and things were great for three years… until Toni had came home early and found Vanessa in bed with a man. Toni had called Jughead in tears after throwing Vanessa out of their apartment and Jughead had flown up to Seattle for a week to try to comfort his friend.

"Like, I'm over Vanessa and I'm ready to move on, but we run in the same circles, Vanessa and I, and that shit's hard, you know?" Jughead nodded sympathetically. "I went on a date with someone like a month ago and it went really well, so I invited her out to drinks with some of my friends later that week and Vanessa was there. And it was just so awkward. Like Vanessa went out of her way to make this girl I was seeing uncomfortable."

"What a bitch."

"Yep. It wasn't enough that she had ruined our relationship by betraying me like that, she had to ruin another potential relationship for me because she doesn't want me to be happy. So unless I find someone here willing to deal with that piece of baggage… you might be seeing a lot more of me in LA. Think you can handle that?"

"I guess" Jughead said, smirking. Toni punched his arm and he stood up, groaning as his tired muscles protested. "I'm going to bed" he mumbled through an ear splitting yawn. "Night." He trudged toward his bedroom for the night and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

***

Jughead's body was not happy with him the next morning when, after breakfast with Toni at the best diner in Seattle, he had forced himself back on his bike to drive the five miles over to his new apartment. After a brief stop at the leasing office to pick up his key, Jughead trudged to the elevator, making his way up to apartment 836.

The key slid easily into the lock and the door opened easily, revealing a mid-sized apartment, definitely smaller than his LA apartment, but what could you expect, with a nice kitchen that would most likely go unused, at least by Jughead, and a large TV with a gaming console attached that most likely would not. He took a moment to peak into the two bedrooms, both of which had windows that overlooked the city, before trudging back out into the living room.

Jughead was just sinking down into the surprisingly uncomfortable sofa when the key turned in the lock again and an athletically built, red-headed man walked through, duffle bag in hand.

"Hey man!" the redhead said brightly, striding over to Jughead and offering his hand. "You must be Jughead. I'm Archie. Archie Andrews."

"Nice to meet you" Jughead replied, standing and taking Archie's hand, shaking it politely.

"You been here long?"

"Nah - just got here like ten minutes ago. None of my stuff is supposed to be here until this afternoon so I was just contemplating what to do."

Archie's eyes fell on the gaming console, and he unzipped his duffle bag for a moment and rummaged around. After a moment, he pulled out the latest console game, one that Jughead had been dying to play but had not yet gotten around to. He strode over the console and grabbed the controls, offering one to Jughead with a raised, questioning eyebrow. Jughead smiled and nodded, grabbing the remote, and turning the TV on. The boys began the video game campaign together, and quickly fell into a sense of easy camaraderie, something that surprised Jughead since he often gave off a "weirdo, loner" persona to people that he hadn't known since childhood.

Several hours passed quickly, until the boys were startled away from their game by a knock on their front door. Archie paused the game and jumped to answer it. A short, well-dressed, dark haired girl with pearl earrings and a necklace was waiting on the other side.

"Hi, I'm Veronica Lodge" she announced, extending her hand to Archie. He took it, baffled, and seemingly a little spellbound at the person who was standing in front of him. "Does Jughead Jones live here?" Jughead instantly went stiff, unsure of who this girl was or why she was looking for him - it would hardly be the first time that an overbearing fan had somehow found their way to his door, although he was a bit shocked that someone had managed to find him this quickly, especially in a building with pretty tight security.

But then Veronica Lodge spoke again before Jughead or Archie could answer. "There is a moving company here with his boxes but they are trying to move them into my apartment."

"I'm Jughead Jones," Jughead said, moving off of the couch and nodding at Archie to let Veronica into their apartment.

"Yes you are," Veronica practically purred, clapping her hands together once. "I was hoping that it wasn't just a rumor that we would be working together. I'm a big fan."

"Um, thanks, I guess?" She looked like she wanted to eat him for dessert, and Jughead squirmed uncomfortably, mentally preparing for the prospect of working with someone who had an obsession with him.

Veronica turned her attention back to Archie. "And you are?"

Archie seemed at a loss for words for a moment, before remembering how to respond. "I'm Archie Andrews. I'm playing Liam on the show."

"I'm playing Katie." Katie, or Kat, was Liam's on screen girlfriend if Jughead remembered correctly. "I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other Archiekins." Veronica looked anything but disappointed by that fact.

Jughead felt himself relax a bit.

"Mmhmm," Archie replied, his eyes not leaving Veronica's face. Veronica was staring at Archie in a very similar matter.

"So… boxes?" Jughead interrupted awkwardly.

"Oh, right," Veronica said, snapping out of her reverie. She poked her head out the door and spoke to a group of men a few doors down. "It's this one right here, gentlemen."

The group backed out of the way while the movers brought Jughead's boxes in and stacked them on the floor between the two bedrooms.

"So, Veronica," Archie started, eager to have her attention again, "who are you living with?"

Jughead's heart sped up a little, interested to hear whatever name Veronica would say. He would be willing to bet his hard earned money that Veronica would be living with whoever played Emma… who with any luck would be Betty Cooper. "Not that it matters to you, anyway" Jughead silently berated himself. "You thought this girl was pretty, and nothing else." Then, "not just pretty… fucking gorgeous."

"Someone named Elizabeth… I think she's Emma on the show."

"So not Betty Cooper," Jughead thought silently. He didn't know if he felt happy about that, or disappointed. If he had to guess, he was leaning towards the disappointed side, given the way he felt his heart fall.

"She doesn't get here until the end of the week, though," Veronica added. "So you two boys will have to keep me company."

"That is definitely not a problem." Archie almost reminded Jughead of a Golden Retriever, in a loveable, eager to please sort of way.

And, surprisingly, it wasn't a problem. Veronica was definitely someone that Jughead would never normally get along with - over the next week he learned that she had grown up rich, and wasn't afraid of throwing her money around to get what she wanted - as exhibited by her replacing all of the provided furniture in her apartment, something that usually drove Jughead insane, having spent his childhood with rich, entitled Hollywood kids. But Veronica was more than just her money - she was fiercely independent and wildly determined in all things, if also a bit of a drama queen. She was also a Jughead Jones fan, admitting to him that night over pizza that she had had a big crush on him as a teenage girl, and she took great delight in asking Jughead all kinds of personal questions just to see him squirm. He didn't think that he and Veronica would ever be best friends, exactly, but they fell into a comfortable enough relationship that Jughead didn't feel anxious when she started pelting him with personal questions.

Veronica had, unsurprisingly given the looks she had given Archie when she met him, latched onto Archie early in the week. Archie - kind and loyal, if not a bit naive and a skirt chaser- had seemingly fallen hard into lust for the fierce Latina woman, and it came as no surprise to Jughead that he heard Veronica sneaking out of his apartment in the early hours of the morning on the third day of their friendship. Jughead had briefly wondered whether he should warn both Archie and Veronica, new to the acting business, about the dangers of being involved with a coworker, but ultimately decided to leave them to their budding relationship, acknowledging that they were both adults capable of making decisions for themselves. Besides, it wasn't like Jughead himself had ever been in that position - he'd only seen the disastrous results many times - so he really wasn't one to give advice anyway.

Jughead and Archie became frequent visitors at Veronica's apartment because, according to Veronica, their place made her claustrophobic. She had a point. Neither boy had really bothered to upack most of their boxes, Jughead's books and Archie's video games were the only exception. The rest of their boxes were stacked around the apartment, to be gradually unpacked as one or the other of them needed something out of a box. Every time Jughead stepped into Veronica's apartment, the doorway of the still-empty bedroom that belonged to "Elizabeth" seemed to stare at him, and Jughead couldn't help but wonder what this Elizabeth person would be like.

***

Betty was exhausted when her flight had landed in Seattle - between trying to pack for Seattle and saying her goodbyes to her LA friends and beginning to prepare for the start of filming, she was mentally, emotionally and physically tired.

As she sat alone in her Uber on the way to the apartment building that she would call home for the next while, a text came through from Cheryl in a newly created _Cast Groupchat!_

_Cheryl Blossom: You are all cordially invited to a cast get to know you get together tonight at 8 PM, Puzzles Bar. Nothing crazy, just a few drinks at the bar to initiate some group bonding. I’ll see you ALL there._

Betty had been looking forward to a quiet night in with a glass of wine and a book, maybe a TV show with her new roommate. Now it looked like she would instead be spending it at a loud and crowded bar with a bunch of people that she didn’t know. Internally, she knew that a group get together with a little bit of alcohol would probably go a long way in helping them all form a strong relationship, especially important since they would be spending so much time together each day. But mentally, all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep.

Her Uber pulled up outside of her new home, a tall, modern-looking gray building with lots of windows and balconies. The driver helped her drag her three suitcases to the door. Betty looked up at the building in awe, and then pulled out her phone, quickly taking a selfie to send to Kevin.

_Betty Cooper: When do you get here, again? I miss you already! But look at the pretty building we get to live in??_

_Kevin Keller: I’ll be there in a month, whether you like it or not, Cooper. Have you met anyone else yet?_

_Betty Cooper: Not yet… but Cheryl has summoned us to a group meet and greet later tonight, so that’s what I’ll be doing with my evening :-/_

_Kevin Keller: Well, just remember to look cute, because Jughead Jones will be there :p_

_Betty Cooper: I lied. I don’t miss you._

_Kevin Keller: Love you too :D_

She put her phone away and was beginning to contemplate how one of her was going to move four rather large suitcases into her new apartment (she hadn’t contemplated the logistics of this when Kevin, and then a luggage cart, had helped her at the airport) when a peppy voice called out her name behind her. “Elizabeth Cooper? Are you Elizabeth Cooper?”

“I am…” Betty answered uncertainly, not sure who would know her in Seattle already. "But I go by Betty."

“I’m Veronica Lodge, I play Katie, your best friend on the show and I’ll be your real life roomie.”

“Oh, hi” Betty answered dumbly, not quite sure what to think of the petite brunette. She wore a black dress with matching heels that wouldn’t look out of place at a cocktail party, and a necklace and earrings made of pearls. She looked like she was on her way to an expensive dinner, rather than lounging around the apartment, but she had a kind face, and Betty thought that she seemed alright.

“You look like you could use some help” Veronica said kindly, walking towards Betty and popping the handles of two of her suitcases.

“That would be great, thanks!” Betty answered, grabbing her other two bags and moving towards the front door of their building. Apparently Veronica's face wasn't the only part of her that was kind.

A doorman opened the door. “Smithers” Veronica greeted the man, stopping for a moment. “This is Betty Cooper, she has a spot on Chronicles too, and she’ll be living with me upstairs.”

“Welcome to Seattle, Ms. Cooper” he replied with a tip of his cap.

“Thank you.” Betty nodded her greeting at the man and then followed Veronica to the elevators.

“I got here a week ago” Veronica began, “so I already have the apartment set up the way that seemed right to me, but if you want anything changed to make you more comfortable, let me know. Production gave your key to me, since they knew I would see you before they did. And” Veronica paused outside of door 833, “here we are. Home sweet home.”

She unlocked the door and pushed the door open, letting Betty enter the apartment before her. The first thing that Betty noticed was how much bigger the apartment was than the apartment she and Kevin had shared in Los Angeles. The second was how nice the furniture in the apartment was. There was a large kitchen, perfect for Betty’s love of experimenting with recipes, complete with a gas stove and island. It opened into a living room with a wall made almost entirely out of windows that contained a large TV, fireplace, and sectional. Three open doors branched off of the living space - one opened into a bathroom with a large bathtub and walk in shower, while the other two appeared to be large, furnished bedrooms with windows that looked out across the city. The floor of the bedroom on the right was littered with shoes - “That one must be Veronica’s room” Betty mused. Wood floors, floor to ceiling windows, and high, vaulted ceilings made the apartment appear larger than it actually was, and gave it an open, airy feeling. One of the windows was a sliding door that led out onto a small balcony with a beautiful view of the Seattle city skyline. Betty could already envision herself spending time sitting at the small table perched out there, writing in her diary.

“Wow, Veronica” Betty breathed. “This apartment is so nice!”

“I know, right?” Veronica gushed. “Although I might have something to do with that. The furniture that came in the apartment was so uncomfortable and that couldn’t be - we work hard and we deserve the very best. Besides, who knows who has used that furniture before us. So I might have gone out and purchased new furniture for the apartment. Or, I guess, Daddy did...I hope that’s okay with you, I should have checked.”

“Oh, no, that’s… fine” Betty answered, a bit unsure of who her new roommate was. “Who can afford to go out and purchase brand new furniture for an already furnished apartment?” Betty thought. “I’ve never heard the name Veronica Lodge, so she must not be some big name actress…”

“Oh good,” Veronica said with a clap of her hands. “Well, I’ll leave you to settle in. We have that mixer tonight to get to know everyone - why don’t we get ready together? It can be our first roommie bonding experience! Oh this is exciting! 5 o’clock on the dot, Betty! Oh - also, I gave you the room with more windows, because I hate being woken up by the sun when I need my beauty sleep, but it also has a balcony in it.” And with that, Veronica disappeared into her bedroom.

Betty inwardly wondered who needed three hours to get ready for anything, especially since she was just planning on putting on some mascara and lipgloss and calling it good. But she shrugged and wandered into her room, knowing that it would be a good chance to bond with her new roommate. She gasped when she walked into her room. It was a large bedroom, with a walk-in closet that her clothes wouldn’t fill half of, and a king-sized bed. A TV was mounted to the wall directly opposite her bed, and a remote controlled fireplace was flickering in the corner. Best of all was the view - Betty crossed to the slider door that took up one window of her bedroom, pulled it open, and stepped out onto the balcony. The view was beautiful - the balcony faced almost due south and she could see Mt. Rainier from her bed. Betty smiled happily - she could already see herself watching many a Seattle sunset from this space. Betty knew that she really should unpack her suitcase, but all she really wanted right now was a nap. She dragged her suitcases into her walk-in closet and found an outfit for tonight - one of her typical sweater and skirt combinations, something comfortable but nice enough for a night out. She hung it in her closet, pleased to see that the flight hadn’t put too many wrinkles into the fabric, and then promptly sank down into her bed, kicking off her shoes and wrapping herself in the comforter. Sighing happily, she had the foresight to set an alarm for 5 PM and then fell asleep.

***

Betty felt refreshed when her alarm went off almost three hours later. She sat up and stretched, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. This bed was truly one of the most comfortable beds that she had ever slept in, and she honestly wasn’t sure how she would ever go back to her old bed in LA again. Although, if Betty was being honest, she doubted that this King sized bed would fit into her room back home.

Knowing that Veronica would be summoning her any minute to begin their preparations for the night out, Betty hastily found her makeup bag in her luggage and took it, along with the pre-selected outfit, out into the living room. Veronica was sitting out on the couch watching an episode of _Say Yes to the Dress_. “Oh, good, you’re up! Have a nice nap?”

“I did, thanks.” “Go put this facemask on and come watch another episode with me, and then we’ll get started with your makeup” Veronica commanded. Betty did as she was told, sighing as she relaxed into the couch, feeling the mask work its magic on her skin. The stress of the past few weeks had not been great for her complexion.

She and Veronica exchanged pleasantries as they watched an indecisive bride attempt to choose her dream dress with the help of her very opinionated family. They quickly discovered a shared love of the glamorous Hollywood starlets of old - Veronica was an Audrey Hepburn girl while Betty prefered Ingrid Bergman - and anything Patrick Swayze. It reminded Betty of nights watching _Campfire Days_ with Kevin and was hopeful that she and her new roommate would get along fine.

Betty quickly learned that Veronica, while a truly kind and generous person, was not shy about sharing her opinions or about getting her own way. She railroaded Betty into pulling her ponytail out for the night and insisted that she do more of her makeup than just mascara and lipgloss, although she did concede to Betty using her soft brown eyeshadow palette instead of doing a black smokey eye like Veronica had originally wanted.

Veronica then demanded to see Betty's outfit and, after seeing the sweater and skirt that Betty had planned on wearing, quickly declared that "tonight, B, you are going to look fabulous and will make quite the first impression on everyone. I have just the thing." Betty inwardly groaned but followed her roommate into her large walk in closet. A few minutes later, Betty had to admit that she did look pretty fabulous, and, dare she say it, hot. Veronica had dressed her in a loose, silky, strappy tank loosely tucked into a tight beige tulip skirt which stopped a few inches above Betty's knees. The outfit was completed with strappy black heels and a skinny black belt that wound it's way around her waist.

Veronica clapped her hands as Betty emerged and smiled. “You, Betty Cooper, are going to blow everyone away!”

“You think?” “Yes, I think so,” Veronica said, nodding.

“Thanks, Veronica! You look great yourself!” And she did. Veronica, not to be outdone, had changed into a glittery black little number that was too short for Betty’s taste, but looked fantastic on her roommate. Betty took a quick mirror selfie and sent it to Kevin.

_Betty Cooper: what do you think?_

_Kevin Keller: OMG Betty Cooper! I need to meet the person who made you look that hot! Not that you aren't phenomenal always but you've stepped out of your traditional, timeless aesthetic and I love it!_

Betty showed Veronica the message from Kevin. "That's your friend from LA who is a lighting tech for the show, right?" Betty nodded. "Thank God there will be someone else with a good sense for fashion on this show. We'll have a spa day and a Patrick Swayze marathon, all three of us, once he gets here."

With that, Veronica handed Betty a shiny gold clutch and forbade her from bringing a sweater with her. "But, Veronica, what if it's cold?"

"It won't be! I wont have you covering up all my hard work! Now come on!"

And with that, both girls left the apartment, locking the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Coming next week: What will happen at Puzzles? Comments and feedback are always appreciated :D


	4. Puzzles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead finally meet again at Puzzles... and why is it called Puzzles? That's the puzzle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of you who read and left bookmarks, comments and kudos last week! I teach, and in these crazy times when I am simultaneously teaching students in my classroom and through Zoom, writing is one of the only things I'm able to do to help me relax at the end of the day, and it brings me great joy to know that there are people out there that are enjoying what I've written :)

"I told you we needed coats Veronica!" Betty hissed as they entered Puzzles, rubbing their arms with their hands to warm up. "You owe me a car ride home tonight!" The bar that Cheryl had chosen, Puzzles, was a few blocks away from their apartment building, and the girls soon arrived, jogging slightly in the end, despite their high heels, because of the cold air. 

"Fine, fine, I'll admit that I might have overestimated the weather a little bit. But I knew that if you brought a sweater, you'd hide your beautiful body under it all night." Betty gave Veronica a scornful look. "What? Am I wrong?"

Betty looked away. 

"I rest my case."

The bar was fairly full, but Betty knew that it was all cast and crew from _Quarantine Tales_ \- Veronica told her that Cheryl had bought out the bar for the night so that they would all have a chance to bond. The bar's name was curious to Betty, as there was nothing in its aesthetic that suggested it had anything to do with puzzles - instead, the room was dotted with swanky black tables and chairs, while a long booth took up the back wall near where the rest of the cast was congregated. Delicate twinkle lights hung from the ceiling and lined the walls, lighting the space with a soft and inviting glow. Bottles of alcohol were placed along a lighted mirror while the bar counter was decorated with what looked like old, yellowed, handwritten letters.

"Interesting place" Veronica mused as both girls approached the bartender and ordered their drinks. 

"I wonder why it's called Puzzles?" Betty wondered aloud.

A voice behind her made her jump. "That's the puzzle."

Betty turned around in surprise. It was Jughead Jones. "Good Lord" Betty thought as she looked at him. "He's even more attractive than I remembered." And he was - he still had the beanie pulled on over his midnight curls, but he was wearing a grey button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up that made his blue eyes sparkle and pop against his face. Betty could feel her fingers itching to undo the top button of his shirt, just to get a hint of the muscles that lay underneath. "Get a grip!" Betty thought, dragging her mind out from the gutter. "Behave yourself!"

She attempted to change her stare into a look of confusion. Apparently it worked. "It's a _How I Met Your Mother_ reference," he said quickly.

She shook her head. "Sorry, I've never seen that show."

"You're missing out" he smirked before holding out his hand. "Hi, I'm -"

Betty cut him off. "-Jughead Jones. And I'm-"

Jughead returned the favor "-Betty Cooper." Betty must have given him a confused look. "I remember your name from the day of the first round of auditions. You didn't hear Cheryl call your name the first few times and I was the person who nudged you."

"I know - thanks for your assistance in helping me land the role!" 

"No thanks necessary. I'm glad to see that you got the part."

"Me too," Betty smiled. Jughead, noticing Veronica, politely turned her way with a quick "Hey, Ronnie, Arch and I are in the back." He nodded his head towards the back table, asking "shall we?" before walking to the back of the room with the girls.

"There you are!" Cheryl said, clearly already a drink or two in. "We were starting to think you weren't coming."

"Sorry Cheryl, my fault" Veronica admitted. "Betty and I made a roomie bonding experience out of getting ready and I might have gone a bit overboard and lost track of time."

"Well, you both look great" a tall man with bright orange hair said as he eyed Veronica up and down appreciatively. Betty wondered instantly if something was going on between the two of them, as she noticed Veronica's hand drift to her hair, twirling it in a flirty move that Betty had only previously seen in movies. 

"Thank you Archiekins. Betty, this is Archie Andrews, he's playing my love interest on the show."

"Oh, nice to meet you," Betty said kindly.

"Come sit down Bettykins." Veronica took a seat in the booth next to Archie and pointed to the seat across from her. Betty sat, and was surprised when Jughead sat down next to her. She supposed that Veronica had taken Jughead's old seat next to Archie and that was the only reason why he was sitting by her, but she couldn't help but feel a small thrill as his leg accidentally brushed against hers - there was no denying that she found Jughead Jones incredibly attractive and images of him in various states of undress filtered unbidden through her mind - images that she had no business imagining given that her new co-worker was the one with a prominent role in all of the mental pictures.

The bar went quiet as the 10 main cast members all sat looking at each other, unsure of what to do next. No one wanted to be the person to start the conversation, so instead they all glanced around stupidly, eyes anywhere but on each other. Betty fidgeted nervously in her seat, fingers tracing patterns in the condensation in her glass, stealing side glances over at Jughead. She couldn't believe that he had remembered who she was, especially given that they had never actually introduced themselves to each other. She tried to think of a way to start a conversation with him, but everything she thought of sounded childish and weird.

He seemed nervous beside her, something that surprised Betty given that he had been part of this Hollywood scene since before he could read. He fidgeted in his seat, hands reaching up to play with his beanie or to run through his hair every few minutes, and Betty had a strange longing to brush back the curl that was repeatedly falling down into his eyes. 

Finally, Cheryl stood up. "Now that we've all stared at each other for a minute" she started bluntly, "we're going to go around the typical 'who are you, who you are on the show and one fact about yourself that we don't already know'" -she looked pointedly at Jughead for a minute - "I'll start. I am Cheryl Blossom, age 27, show runner, and I have a twin named Jason, as well as a triplet named Julian whom I ate in the womb."

Noses wrinkled in disgust around the table. "Alright -Josie, you're next."

Betty hated these kinds of ice breakers. While she had no problem getting up on stage or in front of a camera and doing all sorts of things in front of an audience, she hated it when people were staring at her as Betty Cooper. Anxiety built in her stomach and she felt her nails bite into her palms as she silently sat as her various castmates spewed off information about themselves: Josie, cast as an emergency room doctor, used to be part of a band called Josie and the Pussicats; Reggie, one of Josie's emergency room love interests, bragged that he had been the star quarterback on his high school football team. A few other minor but recurring cast members spoke, and then it was Betty's turn.

"Um, hi" Betty began nervously. "I'm Betty Cooper, age 22, I'm playing Emma Turnbough, and, umm…" Betty's mind went blank and she panicked, "my fact is that my friend Kevin and I helped the police catch a murderer in high school." She immediately regretted sharing this bit of information. The business with her sister and her now deceased boyfriend was an incredibly traumatic time of her life, a part of her that she shared with almost no one. "What the fuck did you just do?" she wondered. Everyone went silent and just stared at her, and Betty wished that the floor would open up and swallow her whole. 

She was debating leaving the bar when Veronica spoke up."Betty Cooper, what a badass!" Veronica gushed. "Tell us all about it."

Betty started to shake, her cheeks flushed red and her breathing quickened and her fists clenched even harder as she stammered out "umm… I don't…"

"Come on, Veronica, let everyone have their turn before you drag Betty off to the inquisition" Jughead interrupted dryly. 

Veronica held her hands up in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. It's your turn Jug."

Betty shot Jughead a grateful look and he shot Betty a wink in response before speaking. "I'm Jughead Jones, 25, I'm playing Jackson Fairbanks, and my fact is that I have a dog named Hotdog."

"It has to be something we don't know about you Jughead" Veronica interrupted smugly, in retaliation for not letting her hear Betty's story. "I distinctly remember reading that in TeenPop! magazine's July 2009 issue."

Jughead rolled his eyes. "Fine. Umm… I have a younger sister nicknamed Jellybean."

"Nope. Popstar USA December 2011."

"I like coffee."

"People Magazine snapped a picture of you with an Americano two years ago." Jughead gave her a dirty look. "What? I have a really good memory… I'm not a crazy stalker, Jones. I prefer athletic and… bright to tall, dark and broody." Betty once again wondered if Veronica and Archie were a thing. She made a mental note to ask her about it later. 

"What don't you know about me Veronica?"

"What's your real name?"

"Nope. Not touching that one."

Veronica pouted briefly before deciding to take her own turn, figuring that she wasn't going to get anything new out of Jughead tonight.

Betty turned to Jughead and softly whispered "thanks I owe you!" He smelled like coffee and leather, and Betty couldn't get enough of it.

"No problem."

“Let me buy you your next drink as a ‘thank you?’”

“You really don’t have to, Betty” Jughead smiled. “But if it will make you feel better, you can.”

Betty nodded. “It will.” She was quiet for a fraction of a second before asking "So your parents didn't actually name you Jughead?"

"No… but trust me, the real thing is much worse."

"Ahem." Archie cleared his throat loudly, his face stern but a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm Archie Andrews, 25, I play the love interest Liam to Veronica's Katie and my fact is that I was once attacked by a bear." Several members of the cast leaned forward to hear Archie’s story better, while Cheryl walked over to behind the bar and plugged her phone into the audio system. _Number One_ by Tove Styrke immediately started blaring through the speakers, drowning out large parts of the conversation. Veronica shrieked and immediately scrambled over Archie in the booth. 

“Ahh this is my favorite song! Betty! Come dance!”

“I don’t dance, Veronica!” She did, but she had no desire to do it in front of a roomful of people she barely knew.

“Well, then, you’re going to start!”

Betty could tell that Veronica wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer, and so she gulped the last few sips of her drink, grimacing as she swallowed the alcohol that had settled at the bottom of her drink.

“Good luck!” Jughead laughed, seeing the look of disgust that crossed her face. 

"You should come too!" Betty quickly invites, not wanting him to think that she was ditching him. 

"Oh, no, Betty Cooper. I am many things - actor, burger snob, pretentious movie viewer - but dancer is one thing that I'm not." 

Before Betty could respond, Veronica grabbed her hands and half-dragged her to a space on the floor not crowded by tables and started moving her body methodically in beat to the music. Bety felt awkward at first, feeling pairs of eyes on her, but as the song hit its second chorus, Midge, Josie and Cheryl joined their dance party, and she felt herself begin to relax and enjoy herself. Several songs in, Veronica danced up to Betty and maneuvered her so that she was facing their table. 

“Look at the boys” she whispered in Betty’s ear, a laugh in her voice. Betty did as she was told and saw that Reggie, Moose, and Archie all had wide, lust-filled eyes fixed on the dancing girls. In fact, Jughead was the only boy not staring at the girls point-blank - although, Betty did notice that he had tilted his chair slightly to have a better view of the dance floor. 

Betty threw her head back and laughed, clearly feeling the alcohol from her first drink winding its way through her system and relaxing her. Leaning closer to Veronica, she whispered "So what's up with you and Archie?" letting the alcohol guide the question that Betty might not have normally asked given how short of a time she and Veronica had known each other. 

"Well… I may not know a lot about him… but I do know that he is absolutely fabulous in bed" Veronica replied, shooting Archie a flirtatious look and then laughing as he blushed the same color as his hair.

"Veronica!" Betty gasped, scandalized.

"What? I was very seriously pleased… many times. What about you? Anyone in here catching your fancy that I could help you out with? You don't have a boyfriend, right?"

Betty shook her head. "No - I've been single for almost a year."

"So it's time to get some Betty Cooper!" drunk Veronica yelled, oblivious to the stares of people around them. She obviously had had more to drink than Betty had. Betty hoped that a certain coworker's eyes weren't among the pairs watching her. "Who do you want to climb like a jungle gym?"

Betty's face was bright red. It's not like she was a prude by any means - she enjoyed sex as much as the next person, but talking about it in a crowded bar where anyone could hear went a little far for her.

"Umm…" 

But then the song changed and Veronica was distracted. Betty sighed with relief - the last time she'd hooked up with someone from a bar had been disastrous and she wasn't eager to have a repeat performance. "Firm boundary, right now" she decided forcefully. "No sleeping with anyone in this room." Jughead Jones included.

Betty danced for a minute more, and then shouted to Veronica “I’m going to sit down!”

“No!!” Veronica whined.

“My feet are sore!” Betty replied. “These shoes you forced me into are killing my feet, and I’d like to be able to walk tomorrow. You only have yourself to blame!”

“Whatever” Veronica said, a good-natured smile assuring Betty that she wasn’t actually upset. 

“Oh my God” Betty moaned gratefully as she sat down next to Jughead at the table and slipped out of her borrowed shoes “I am never wearing Veronica’s shoes again!”

She thought she had noticed Jughead stiffen slightly when she moaned, but brushed it off when he smiled at her and said “Death heels aren’t your thing?”

“Definitely not - I’m having serious doubts about my ability to walk tomorrow.”

Jughead coughed loudly at her comment and almost spit his drink out. Betty looked up, surprised. “You ok?”

“Mmhmm, swallowed my drink wrong.” 

She couldn’t help but notice that his face had gone bright red, but chose to say nothing, not wanting to make anything between them potentially weird. 

“You want another drink?” Jughead asked, gesturing at Betty’s empty cup.

“Oh, but Jughead, I owed you a drink.”

“Death high heels, wanting to walk tomorrow, does that ring a bell? But seriously, don’t worry about it. You’ll know where to find me whenever you do want to buy me one.”

“Ok - rum and coke please?”

“Coming right up.”

He was back a moment later, skirting around the girls still dancing in the middle of the dance floor and handing her her drink. 

“Thanks,” she said with a smile. He shuffled his chair a bit closer to her and leaned in.

“So… Betty Cooper. Tell me about yourself.”

“I feel like I’m at an interview” Betty joked. “What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you want to tell me - all I know about you is that you grew up in Riverdale, that you’re twenty-two, that you and your best friend solved a murder in high school, and that you like rum and cokes and hate Veronica’s shoes. Did you actually solve a murder?”

“I did.”

“Color me intrigued - you’re a regular Nancy Drew.” 

"Yep." She knew that she was probably coming off a little short with him, but this was a topic of conversation she'd rather not discuss tonight. 

"And?"

"And… I really don't know why I decided to share that as my fact? I panicked. Normally I don't like to talk about it. Do you mind if we… don't?"

"Sure" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Your story, your rules. Tell me something else."

"I like to tinker with old cars when I have free time."

He looked shocked. "Fuck, really?" Betty nodded. "I never would have taken you for a grease monkey, Betty Cooper."

"What, the tight skirt and high heels doesn't scream auto-tech to you?" Jughead mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite make out. "What was that?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. His face seemed a little flushed, but the room was warm and they were both at least two drinks in, so she didn't think much of it.

“What about you, Jughead Jones? What should I know about you, besides what I already know from the tabloids?”

He looked at her, a bit confused. “My best friend Kevin and I may or may not watch _Campfire Days_ whenever one of us has had a particularly shitty day - it’s been tradition since high school. Kevin had a massive crush on Joaquin for a while, so he bought just about every teen magazine interview that they published and forced me to analyze it with him in excruciating detail.”

“Haha, really?”

“Mmhmm” Betty looks embarrassed. “I learned a lot about you and the rest of the cast, whether I wanted to or not. Watching the show together is still fun, though. Lately the tradition has evolved to contain wine. It’s nice.”

“It sounds like it, although I’d don’t know why you’d want to watch a show with my awkward teenage self over and over again.”

“You weren’t awkward… you were… endearing!”

“Sure” Jughead teased. “Whatever you say, Betty Cooper. What do you want to know?”

“What do you like to do when you aren’t playing a nerdy teenage camp counselor?”

“You mean an exceptionally handsome and charming camp counselor” Jughead replied, giving her a wink.

“I stand by my statement” she said with a laugh.

“Ok, don’t tell anyone else, and I mean literally anyone else because there are very few people that know this, but I’m a published author."

“Like, awkward fanfiction, author or short stories, or…?”

“I actually have two novels published under a pseudonym, and am about halfway through another one.”

“No way! Jug, that’s awesome! What books?”

“ _Only Way is Through_ and _Sweetwater Trials_ ” he answered nonchalantly.

“No way!” Betty cried, clearly thrilled. “You’re F. Pendleton?”

“Guilty as charged” he smirked.

“Jug, those books were at the top of the New York Times bestsellers list for months!"

“So you’ve read it?”

“Read it? I’m pretty sure I’m half of the reason why you stayed on the bestseller list for so long - I read them and then recommended them to literally everyone I knew. Although, you do need an editor that is a bit more conservative with how many semicolons they let you use. Why don’t you want anyone else to know that you wrote the book? It’s obviously not something to be ashamed of.”

“I like that it’s something that just me and a few close friends and family know about” he admitted.

"Well, thank you for telling me, I'm honored to be one of the few people who know. Really." She smiled at him, shocked that he had let her into his inner circle so quickly. "Out of curiosity, why'd you tell me? You barely know me."

"Not sure," Jughead admitted. "I have a good feeling about you, Betty Cooper."

"What made you start writing?"

“I started writing when my mom left - it was all over the tabloids and I just needed something that would let me just be me for a while, instead of ‘Jughead Jones,’ teen tv show star. It was a lot of pressure, growing up - people always wanted more and more of me, whether it was my public or my private life. People thought that I owed them more and more of my private life… and I don’t. My life is mine, not theirs.”

Betty nodded, sadly. “I get that.”

Jughead smirked sardonically and continued. “I know that it all comes as part of the ‘child star’ package, but I wasn’t given a choice in the matter. Acting was something that my mom got me into, and then when she left my dad because of his drinking, it was up to me to help support her and my sister - quitting wasn’t an option, at least for a long time. I was actually debating quitting acting altogether and just spending my life writing and hoping that the publicity and stardom would eventually die down. I decided that this would be the audition that decided it for me - if I got the part it was the universe telling me that I needed to keep going, and if I didn’t, well, that was the universe deciding that acting was over for me.”

“So the universe spoke?”

“The universe spoke."

“Yo! Jug!” Archie yelled. Jughead and Betty jumped apart and looked around - they were the only people still sitting at the table. Everyone else was dancing to an upbeat song. “Stop hogging Betty and both of you get over here!”

"Nice try, Archie" Jughead replied. "I told you last night and I'll tell you again. I don't dance."

"Oh, yes you do Jones" Cheryl added as she popped to the floor and then slowly worked her way up, effortlessly seductive. "I'm your showrunner, and I demand that you get your ass out here with the group!"

"It's not in my contract, Cheryl!"

"Please, Jug?" Betty asked. "Everyone else is, and I'll feel bad leaving you lonely!"

Jughead gave her a long, hard look. "Only for you, Betty Cooper. Two songs."

“Yay” Betty smiled, leaning down to slip her shoes back on. Jughead sighed morosely before standing up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her chair, and followed her to the dance floor as they joined the rest of the cast.

Veronica was on Betty in an instant.

“B!” she cried, throwing her arms around Betty cheerfully, obviously more than a little intoxicated. “What were you and Mr. tall, dark and broody talking about over there?" She looked at Betty suggestively, a look that Betty pointedly ignored.

“We were just getting to know each other a little bit, V."

“Uh huh" Veronica said doubtfully. "It looked like there was some serious sexual tension over there to me."

“Veronica!” Betty hissed, looking around to make sure that no one had heard her roommate. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll behave” Veronica smirked.

True to his word, Jughead stayed on the makeshift dance floor for exactly two songs before migrating back to his seat at the table. Betty noticed him looking at her more than once, his gaze intense and heated. Every time, a flush ran its way up her body, and if it wasn't something inappropriate for her to be thinking about a _brand new colleague_ she would have been wishing that he was dancing with her, his body pressed tightly next to hers. 

She rejoined him at the table several times, personally preferring to sit and watch the dancing than participate in it herself. 

"How come you're not out there with everyone?" she asked him on one such occasion.

"I'm really not much of a partier… or a drinker" he replied, shaking his drink. He'd stopped after nursing two drinks down. "Everyone else is way drunker than I am, and honestly I'd much rather be at home with a movie and a burger."

"Me too," Betty said honestly. "Although I didn't figure that you would be a homebody like me."

"Why's that?"

"The tabloids always paint you out to be such a partier." And they did - he had a rather notorious party-boy reputation, photographed almost every weekend on the way out to some hot Hollywood party.

"Don't believe everything you read in the papers" he said with a grin. "Almost all of the pictures they took were of me on the way over to my sister's house to play Mario Kart with her and her boyfriend."

She laughed. "I think that I need to reexamine everything that I thought I knew about you, then." They spent the rest of the evening talking at the table. He learned about her childhood growing up in small town New York, she learned about his childhood raised in the Hollywood spotlight. They had a mutual love of murder mysteries, true crime and good milkshakes, and he had made her promise that she would show him her cooking skills some time in the very near future. 

He was intriguing. Sitting next to him, sharing about her life and hearing about his, she felt completely and totally comfortable, something she had never felt with a person she had known for such a short period of time.

Betty wasn't sure how long she and Jughead talked that night in Puzzles. It was only when she yawned and ear splitting yawn that she realized how late it was. Just then, Veronica and Archie joined her and Jughead at the table.

"A few of us are going clubbing, either of you want to join?" Veronica asked excitedly. 

Betty decided that the only thing she wanted was to be back in her King sized bed and shook her head. "Thanks for the invite, V, but the only place I'm interested in going is home so that I can go to bed."

"Jug?" Archie asked.

"Nah - I'll walk Betty home. I've hit my social limit and I have an idea for a… I mean, I have something I have to do before I go to bed."

Veronica gave Jughead a confused look, the alcohol clearly not dulling her brain one bit, and Betty quickly jumped in, knowing that Jughead didn't want Veronica digging into his excuse any further.

"You and Arch have fun though, V!" she said brightly, taking the attention away from Jughead.

"Oh we will!" Veronica gave Betty a little eyebrow wiggle before her face turned serious. "But text me once you get home, please. So I know that you haven't been kidnapped by a creepy Betty Cooper or hardcore Jughead Jones stan."

“I don’t have any creepy stans, yet Veronica!” Betty laughed. “But I will text you, I promise. See you tomorrow! Make good choices.” She gave Veronica a pointed look, but Veronica looked away, her attention already focused quite clearly on Archie. 

"So what's the idea that you need to get home and write down?" Betty asked Jughead as they meandered slowly along the still bustling Seattle streets. Jughead had pulled on a dark pair of sunglasses to help shield his identity a bit and he kept his eyes peeled warily for cameras that might descend upon them. 

"There's a character that I've been struggling with for the past few weeks and I have some ideas about how to make her more real."

"Oh? What's this character like?" 

"Not telling you yet, Betts." Betty's heart gave a heavy thump at the nickname and she smiled.

"Not even a hint?"

"Nope. But if you agree to put your high school editor in chief skills to the test, I'll let you take a look at a draft once I have one done and let you tear it apart and criticize my liberal semicolon use."

"I would like that" she smiled, and then shivered violently.

“Here” Jughead said, shrugging out of the leather jacket he was wearing.

“Oh, no, Jughead I couldn’t! Besides, you’ll be cold!”

“I run warm, Betts. Don’t worry about it - I’ll be fine!”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Take the jacket!”

“Ok… thanks Jug.”

“We’ll have to do a trade once we get back to our building” he said after a minute, suddenly remembering what was sitting at the bottom of his luggage.

“What do you mean?” Betty looked extremely confused.

“I don’t want to creep you out… but I happen to have your tan jacket folded up in the bottom of one of my bags.”

“No way! I’ve been looking for that since the first audition. I thought I was going to have to get a new one!”

“I know - I grabbed it off of the floor when they called you in. I tried to give it to you at the chemistry read, but you took off out of there so fast that I didn’t get a chance. I brought it with me hoping that I would see you again… although I fully acknowledge that that sounds super fucking creepy!”

“It is a little… but it’s also really sweet, and it saves me from having to replace my favorite jacket, so you’re forgiven.”

They talked sporadically as they meandered their way back to their building, and Betty found herself wishing that they could prolong their walk. They discovered that they both loved old movies, particularly old, black and white films, as well as true crime podcasts and serial killer documentaries. By the time they reached their apartment building, they had promised to save Netflix's _Making of a Murderer_ for each other, since they both had been planning to watch it, but had never gotten around to it. Finally, they stepped into the warmth of their building and into the elevator. 

“Thanks for walking me back, Juggie” Betty said softly as they stopped outside of her door. She shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to him.

“Happy to do it, Betts. Do you want me to bring your jacket by tomorrow?”

“That would be great!”

“Here, give me your number - I’ll text you before I come over to make sure you’re awake.” She did so, and he sent her a quick message so that she would have his number, too.

“See you tomorrow, Jug” Betty said as she stifled a yawn. “Sleep well.”

“Night Betts” he replied as he crossed to his own door, two doors down from hers. They both stepped into their apartments with a final wave, and as her door shut behind her, she smiled at the thought of seeing Jughead again tomorrow.

“Just as friends, Betty Cooper. Just as friends” she scolded herself as she kicked off her shoes and moved tiredly to her room.

Changing into her pajama shorts and an old t-shirt that she had stolen from Kevin, Betty plugged her phone in next to her nightstand. Jughead’s text popped up immediately and Betty couldn’t help but smile again as she saved his name in his contacts before she instantly collapsed in her bed and fell fast asleep.

### ***

True to her word, Jughead's phone dinged bright and early on Saturday morning - or, more accurately, Jughead's bright and early at 1 PM given that he had stayed up until the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon writing - with a text from Cheryl inviting him, and the rest of the the _Quarantine Tales_ cast for drinks that night. He sighed, really not in the mood to socialize, but he knew that it would be good to spend some time with members of the cast and crew that weren't Archie and Veronica.

Almost immediately, another text message binged on his phone.

_Toni Topaz: Dude, where the hell are you?_

"Fuck" Jughead groaned. He had overslept and was late to meet Toni at their favorite coffee shop, at almost the exact halfway point between their two homes.

 _Jughead Jones: I was up late writing and I overslept. I'll be there in twenty_.

He took a hasty shower and slipped on a worn pair of black jeans, a gray S t-shirt and a flannel. Slipping his feet into his preferred pair of combat boots, he vaguely heard Veronica's voice in the corridor, talking loudly to someone and, by the sound of it, dragging a suitcase behind her. A glance at Archie's bedroom told Jughead that his roommate was still asleep, but Jughead's lateness put a hold on his curiosity.

Grabbing his motorcycle helmet, he dashed out the door and rushed to the elevator. Veronica had disappeared into her apartment again and Jughead forgot all about it until he pulled up outside of the coffee shop fifteen minutes later.

"Elizabeth was coming today" he thought randomly as he parked his bike. "Guess there's another reason to go to this thing tonight."

The same thought crossed Jughead's mind again as he sat idly inside of a bar called Puzzles, slowly sipping a jack and coke, mindful of his alcohol intake, given his desire to avoid a hangover the next morning and his father's history with alcohol abuse. A small pit of anxiety was bubbling in his stomach, a product of the social anxiety he always felt when meeting a large group of new people for the first time.

He glanced around the bar to try to take his mind off of it. He was curious as to why it was called Puzzles, given that there were no puzzles or puzzle decor anywhere in the room. Apparently, he had asked his question aloud, because a busboy who was clearing one table over replied "That's the puzzle!"

Jughead looked at the boy, confused, and the busboy continued, saying "it's a _How I Met Your Mother_ reference." 

Jughead immediately understood and let out a laugh. "Nice."

"Hey, man" Archie said, nudging Jughead to get his attention. "Do you see Ronnie anywhere? She texted me a few minutes ago and said that she and her new roommate were walking over now." Jughead was sitting at the edge of the table, and got up for an easier view of the front of the room. Cheryl had bought out the bar for the night, wanting everyone to feel comfortable letting loose so they could get to know each other, without worrying about the potential for invasive cameras, but there was a fairly large group of _Quarantine Tales_ people gathered tonight, so the room was still fairly crowded. Scanning the crowd, Jughead finally spotted Veronica at the front of the room, grabbing a drink from the bar with a blonde companion.

"Yeah I see her" Jughead responded. He tried to catch Veronica's eye for a moment to wave her over to him and Archie, but when she didn't see him, he headed towards the bar. Veronica was with a blonde someone - Elizabeth he presumed. He could tell without seeing her face that she was beautiful, with her curves accentuated by the tight skirt she wore, the legs that went on for days, the silky blonde hair that skimmed just past her shoulders.

He was about to call out to Veronica when the blonde girl spoke, asking "I wonder why it's called Puzzles?" 

He couldn't help but answer with the knowledge the busboy had graced him with. "That's the puzzle."

The girl jumped slightly, clearly startled, and Jughead felt a little bad. He winced and opened his mouth to apologize. But then she turned around and the earth stood still, his mouth left gaping open stupidly. It was _her,_ just as beautiful as he remembered - Betty Cooper, eyes green as emeralds, blonde hair falling gracefully in waves surrounding her face and Jughead couldn't help but stare, failing miserably to stop himself from drinking her in. She gave him an odd look and he averted his eyes, trying to seem like a normal human being. "It's a _How I Met Your Mother_ reference."

"Sorry, I've never seen that show."

"You're missing out." He studied her face, trying to decide how to introduce himself as he searched for any hint of whether she might recognize him or not. He decided to go with 'not' and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm -"

Betty cut him off. "-Jughead Jones. And I'm-"

"-Betty Cooper." Betty looked a little surprised that he had known who she was, and, not wanting to seem like a creep, he filled her in. "I remember your name from the day of the first round of auditions. You didn't hear Cheryl call your name the first few times and I was the person who nudged you."

"I know - thanks for your assistance in helping me land the role!" 

"No thanks necessary. I'm glad to see that you got the part."

"Me too," Betty smiled at him, and Jughead thought he felt his heart skid to a stop. "Stop it" Jughead yelled mentally. "You're acting like a love-sick, hormone crazed teenager. Pull yourself together, you don't know this girl and you're going to be working with her." The devil on his other shoulder took the initiative to remind him "But you want to get to know her. Preferably while laying naked in your bed."

Jughead could feel his pants beginning to tighten and, eager not to make a fool of himself, he turned to Veronica. She gave him a knowing smirk and Jughead inwardly groaned, knowing that Veronica would be interrogating him about his apparently odd behavior towards Betty before the night was over. "Hey Ronnie - Arch and I are over there." He nodded towards Archie, who waved at Veronica and then led her and Betty towards the table.

He took a seat next to Betty, ignoring the chair he had been sitting in originally, next to Archie. He knew that he had made the right choice when Cheryl began her icebreaker game - Jughead hated these kinds of forced social interactions and he felt himself radiating nervous energy. Betty didn't look any better off, but there was something about being beside her that calmed him a little bit. He noticed her gripping her hands tightly into fists underneath the table and ached to grip his hands in hers instead.

"Alright, Betty it's your turn," Cheryl said, turning their direction. Betty squeaked nervously and seemed to freeze for a moment before revealing that she had caught a murderer in high school. She looked more uncomfortable than before, if that was possible, though, and when Veronica began interrogating her about the event, Jughead saw Betty's face pale and her fists clench even tighter. 

"Come on, Veronica, let everyone have their turn before you drag Betty off to the inquisition." Jughead felt all of the eyes around the table turn towards him, and he thought he heard Betty let out a small sigh of relief next to him as the attention shifted away from her.

When Veronica finally had enough of her game of interrogating Jughead and let the next person begin speaking, Jughead felt Betty lean closer to him, her body warm as it brushed against him. She smelled like vanilla, and something else that Jughead couldn't quite place, and he was entranced.

"Thanks, I owe you" she whispered softly to him, offering to buy him a drink. Jughead could have punched Archie when he interrupted them seconds later, and he was feeling fairly murderous when Veronica dragged Betty off to the dance floor. 

The murderous feelings didn't last long though, once he saw Betty begin to move with the music. Nervous looking at first, she became almost carefree as she danced, a smile lighting up her face. She was beautiful. Jughead couldn't deny that he felt insanely attracted to her.

"So Betty seems nice," Archie said, chugging down the last bit of his beer. "You met her before?"

"Yeah," Jughead answered. "We met at auditions and then at the chemistry read - it was really quick, though. I didn't realize that she was the person that Veronica has been talking about all week."

"And she's hot!" Reggie, a typical dude-bro if Jughead has ever met one, chimed in, clapping Archie on the shoulder boisterously. "Those legs of hers will look hot as fuck when they're wrapped around me."

"Have some respect, Reggie," Jughead replied bitterly, never mind that he had been having variations of the same thought since he set eyes on her. 

"Why? You calling dibs?"

"No - I'm not dibbs-ing a person, asshole. She's a person and she deserves to be treated with respect."

"Well, she's still hot as fuck."

Jughead couldn't deny that Reggie was right on that one, and the boys looked on at the dancing girls appreciatively, although Jughead noticed that Archie, Reggie and Moose weren't so much looking as blatantly staring. 

The song ended and Betty walked off of the dance floor, back to the seat she had vacated. His heart rate sped up and he felt his palms begin to sweat when she sat down in the chair next to him, giving a sensual moan when she slipped off her shoes and stretched her feet out.

Jughead felt himself twitch in his pants and took a deep breath trying to calm himself.

"Death heels aren't your thing?" he asked, trying to keep his mind off of trying to make her moan like that again.

“Definitely not - I’m having serious doubts about my ability to walk tomorrow.” That was not what he needed to hear to keep his mind out of the gutter, and he inhaled a bit of his drink as he gasped. 

“You ok?” She looked surprised, but not, he hoped, disgusted.

“Mmhmm, swallowed my drink wrong.” 

His face felt flushed and he offered to buy her a drink just to get away for a moment so that he could calm himself, before he tried to kiss her passionately up against the wall. She looked sexy as hell in that tight skirt and tank top that fell just right over her curves, and he was honestly losing his mind a bit. 

Mind appropriately refocused, he came back with her drink and sat down, pulling his chair closer to her so he could hear her better over the loud music.

It was obvious to him very quickly that Betty wasn't comfortable sharing any more information about the murder that she'd solved, but he didn't mind. He wanted to learn everything that he could about this girl. He hadn't expected her to say that she rebuilt cars in her spare time, though, and he had a sudden vision of Betty in short shorts and a tank top, laid out on her back as he adjusted something on his motorcycle.

"Fuck, really?" he asked, surprised. "I never would have taken you for a grease monkey, Betty Cooper."

"What, the tight skirt and high heels doesn't scream auto-tech to you?" 

"They scream something, alright" Jughead thought, envisioning her screaming his name, the high heels and skirt in a pile on his floor. 

"What was that?" she asked. 

"Fuck!" Apparently he hadn't kept it in his head, but she let it go, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“What about you, Jughead Jones?" 

He wasn't sure what possessed him to tell her about his books - that was something that he rarely shared with anyone who wasn't in his inner circle - but he found himself wanting to tell this girl everything about himself, and as the night wore on, he found himself talking to her almost exclusively, telling her things that he hadn't thought about in years. 

Time passed quickly as he told her about his time growing up on _Campfire Days_ , about how he, Toni, Sweet Pea and Joaquin were still more like siblings than anything else, about the lack of privacy that surrounded his formative years. 

"I bet your girlfriend hates that," she said when he mentioned that paparazzi had a nasty habit of showing up whenever he stepped out to go to the grocery store in sweats and a ratty tank top. 

"No, she actually loved it," Jughead admitted, leaving out the fact that it was Sabrina who usually called them in the first place. "That's part of why we broke up."

"Oh," she answered. "I didn't realize you two had broken up."

"Mmhmm, a while ago now. It was all over the papers. And now anytime I'm seen anywhere with anyone that it looks like I'm remotely romantically interested in, it's a big thing. It's super fucking annoying."

"I bet," Betty murmured. 

"What about you? Your boyfriend wasn't upset that you got this role and moved to Seattle?"

"No boyfriend, not for about a year, since I caught him in bed with another woman."

"Ass" Jughead replied loyally. He tried to ignore the thrill that went up his spine when he heard that Betty was single. "We can be friends" he decided firmly. " _Just_ friends."

He was glad that it was just the two of them that chose to walk back to their apartments that night, glad that he could have her to himself for a time, away from the noise and crowd of the bar. The air was perfumed with car exhaust and cigarette smoke, loud music and conversations filtering out onto the sidewalk from the surrounding businesses. She shivered and he slipped his leather jacket to her, still warm from his body, trying to ignore how beautiful she looked wearing something of his. 

He told her that he still had her jacket, and she didn't think that he was a creep, just thanked him when he offered to bring it by the next day, grateful that she didn't need to get a replacement. 

"Thanks for walking me home," she whispered to him, the need for sleep evident in her tired eyes. He put his number in her phone, under the guise of texting her tomorrow before he came over with her jacket, but he couldn't help but think it would come in handy in many other ways, too. 

"Night, Betts," he said quietly, watching her shut the door behind him before walking to his own place down the hall and unlocking the door.

"Just friends," he muttered aloud looking at the new number in his phone. "Just friends."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, when my Mr. and I started dating, we binged all of How I Met Your Mother Together, so I thought it fitting that there be a few HIMYM references sprinkled in. Also, I head cannon that Veronica is a total boy band fan girl, so that came out in this chapter a bit too. The song "Number One" that the girls dance to at the bar is the song that Betty is dancing to in her room way back in Season 1, Episode 1, and it's pretty fantastic - never fails to pick me up when I'm down :) 
> 
> I love kudos and comments, just saying!


	5. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee, pep talks and lots of talking. A filler chapter in which Betty and Jughead definitively become friends... with maybe a hint of something more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those of you who reviewed and left kudos last week!

The sound of loud retching coming from the bathroom woke Jughead up on Saturday morning. He groaned - after walking home with Betty the night before, he had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning writing, wanting to hold onto his inspiration while he had it. 

He clicked his phone on to check the time - 9:30. Archie continued retching next door in the bathroom, and Jughead knew that he wasn’t going back to sleep. Coffee, he decided, was the next best thing. Throwing himself out of bed and quickly getting dressed, he left after popping his head in at a green-looking Archie. 

“Coffee?”

“God, yes” Archie moaned. “Don’t ever let me drink again.”

“Arch, you and I both know that’s not going to happen.”

Archie just groaned and Jughead headed out the door, towards the coffee shop that he had found a few years ago on a visit to Toni. Luckily, their apartment building was only a few blocks away. It was off the beaten path enough that the only people who knew about the establishment were the regulars from the neighborhood, and they all either didn’t recognize Jughead, or were polite enough to pretend that they didn’t, and would let him drink his coffee and write in peace. Normally, a trip to the aptly named Hideout would involve Jughead, endless cups of their amazing dark brew coffee, and his laptop as he carefully crafted characters and plot lines for his latest chapter. 

Today, though, he was on a mission - on the walk to the shop, he had decided to drop some coffee by for Betty and Veronica, too. If Archie was any indication, Veronica would be in rough shape this morning, and he doubted that Betty wanted to deal with her without a strong caffeine fix. And, he couldn’t deny that he wanted to see her again. They had talked almost entirely to each other last night at the bar, and he found himself thoroughly enjoying her company. She was incredibly smart and down to earth, and she seemed eager to listen to his stories and excited to tell hers. He could already tell that they would be good friends, but he couldn't help but wish that there could be something more.

“Get your head out of the clouds, Jones. She’s your co-worker. You would still see her and kiss her on a daily basis if things went south.” But as the barista fulfilled his order, he couldn’t help but remember how amazing she had looked last night. The tank top and tight skirt had outlined her curves while simultaneously leaving him wanting more, while Veronica’s “death heels” had made her legs seem to stretch on for miles. However Veronica had done her makeup had accentuated the fact that Betty had eyes like emeralds - eyes that he found himself getting lost in as they talked. Her hair had fallen gently around her shoulders and seemed to have a slight curl to it, giving a softness to her features that her typical ponytail didn’t have. 

Lost in thought, the barista had to call his last name loudly 3 or 4 times before he snapped out of it and hurried over to grab the coffee carrier from her, an embarrassed smile on his face.

“Thanks” he said as he hurried away, missing the amused smile on the barista's face as she watched him leave. 

Jughead stopped off at his apartment, leaving a coffee for Archie, who had moved from moaning in the bathroom to moaning on the couch, and grabbing Betty’s jacket before walking two doors down, to the girls’ place. He almost knocked, and then thought better of it - if Veronica was still asleep, he knew there would be hell to pay if he woke her up. Instead, he shifted the coffee carrier to his left hand, and with his right, pulled out his phone and found Betty’s contact information, pushing 'call' and holding the phone up to his ear. The phone rang several times, and Jughead began wondering what he would do with the coffee if she didn’t answer. Finally, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Betty’s voice was muffled and only half-awake sounding.

"Oh, fuck, did I wake you up?" Based on what he knew about Betty, she seemed like the kind of girl who would be up with the sun, eager to start her day, but maybe he had been wrong. He instantly felt a bit guilty, thinking that he probably should have texted her, before inviting himself over.

"No it's ok" she mumbled. She yawned loudly into the phone, and Jughead couldn’t help but wince, kicking himself for calling.

"Sorry, I figured that you would be awake since it's past 10."

"Holy shit!" Betty mused. "I never sleep that late. Any other day I probably would have been awake, but I guess we were out late. What's up, Jug?" 

"Umm, I'm actually outside your door with coffee. Archie and Veronica got back super late and were pretty trashed, and hungover Archie is a puking, moaning mess. He sent me for coffee and I grabbed some for you and Veronica too.”

“That’s so sweet, Jug. Thanks. Um… give me a few minutes and I’ll come let you in.”

“See you in a few,” he replied, hanging up the call.

A few moments later, she opened the door. Jughead swallowed hard - if he thought she looked great last night, with makeup and nice clothes, it was nothing compared to how beautiful she looked this morning. Sleep still present in her makeup-less face, she smiled at him and stood to the side, beckoning him in. Jughead tried not to stare as he took in her hair pulled up in a messy bun, the oversized sweatshirt printed with “River Vixens Cheer” and the short athletic shorts that showed off her legs. The toenails of her bare feet were painted a delicate, pastel pink, and he could not think of anything more 'Betty Cooper'. He had a sudden wish to see her like this everyday, picturing a half-asleep Betty cuddling close to him in the mornings, and a surge of longing and lust pulsed through him.

He stood stupidly in her kitchen for a moment, before remembering why he was there. “Oh - here.” He handed her one of the cups of coffee and she smiled at him gratefully. 

She took a slow sip and looked up at him gratefully. "You are literally my favorite person right now. How did you find coffee this good already? You've literally been in Seattle for less than a week. This is just like the coffee at the diner I used to hang out at back in Riverdale."

"Good coffee is a necessity, Betty" Jughead chuckled as he draped her tan coat over the back of one of the tall bistro chairs that lined her kitchen island. "And I come up here a few times a year to visit Toni - we found this coffee shop a few years ago." Then he looked sheepish. "Sorry I woke you up."

"It's ok, Jug - I have a ton of unpacking to do today."

"Oh - I can go if I'm disrupting your morning…" He turned towards the door. He was a bit disappointed that she didn’t want him to stay longer, even though his original plan was just to drop off coffee and go.

"No! No! Not at all. I was actually about to make breakfast. Want some? I think Veronica will be up soon and she’ll need something to help soak up the alcohol."

"Sure Betts, breakfast sounds good." 

"What do you like?" She turned towards the double doored refrigerator and opened it. "It looks like we have bacon, eggs, veggies, cheese… how do omelets and bacon sound?"

"Betty, if you are going to know anything about me, you should know that I will never, ever turn down any sort of food."

He offered to help, but was quickly told to sit down and drink his coffee after the third time he had almost cut a finger off. A few minutes later she set a steaming omelet in front of him and he sniffed it appreciatively. He took a bite and groaned. "Betty Cooper, where have you been all my life?"

"Good?"

"So fucking good. Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"Perfect Cooper daughters learn how to cook in order to snag rich Cooper husbands" Betty said in a tone mocking her mother. "But it has its perks."

Just then, Betty’s doorbell rang. She looked up, confused, and then sent a panicked look towards Veronica’s room. 

“Who is here this early on a Saturday morning, besides you, bearing coffee?”

He shrugged and watched as she crossed to the door. 

Veronica’s bedroom door opened and she stumbled out, a hand clutched to her head. Jughead wordlessly handed her the last coffee cup, which she took with a grunt and then trudged back to her bedroom, out of the light that was filtering in through the living room windows.

Betty gasped loudly and Jughead leapt out of his chair and rushed to the door. 

“What?” Betty had gone pale and started shaking as she stared down at something on her welcome mat. “Betts, are you ok?”

She bent to pick up the package, and Jughead saw that it was a script for the first episode of  _ Quarantine Tales. _ He had gotten his earlier that week.

“Oh my God” she breathed. “I can’t believe that this is happening.” She shut the door and wandered back to the living room, sinking down on the couch. Jughead grabbed both of their coffees and followed her, sitting down next to her.

Her face was still pale as he sunk into her couch, and he could see that she was still trembling. “Are you ok?” he asked again.

She nodded, but didn't look sure of herself, her face pale and anxious.

Immediately he took the script out of her hands and set it on the coffee table. “Look at me,” he said gently. 

“You've got this, ok?"

"I know… it's just… a lot of changes."

"I know. But you aren't doing this alone, ok? You have a whole cast and crew that are right there with you. And I've done this a time or two, so whatever you need, I'm in your corner, ok?"

She searched his face, and obviously liked whatever she saw, because she nodded. “Ok.” Then she sighed. “I should probably get started with my day - I have a ton of unpacking to do, and now that I have the script, I should read through the episode before our table read on Monday.”

Jughead wordlessly grabbed the script off of the coffee table, and stood up, walking towards Betty’s bedroom.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Betty was understandably confused.

“Well” Jughead smirked, “I have nothing to do today, and you have a lot to do, so I’m going to help you. We’re going to go into your bedroom, and I will read your script to you while you unpack. And then once we’re done, we’ll order a pizza to celebrate, and I will introduce you to  _ How I Met Your Mother _ , because I don’t know if we can be friends if you haven’t seen that show.”

“Jug, I can’t ask you to give up your day like that!”

“It’s what friends are for, Betty. Now come on - you have suitcases to empty and I have a script to read.”

***

True to his word, Jughead flopped on the floor outside of Betty’s walk-in closet, and began to read while she filled her dresser drawers and closet rod with clothes and her bedroom with the personal possessions that she had brought to make the place feel more like home. 

The pilot episode heavily relied on Jughead and Betty’s performances - in the episode, Jackson, an editor writing a book of his own, and Emma, an investigative journalist, are acquaintances whose roommates, Katie and Liam are in a relationship, and have both been exposed to Corona Virus at a Los Angeles bar. Rather than risk exposing their roommates who were both away on a romantic getaway in the woods, Jackson and Emma decide that Jackson will move into Emma’s apartment and quickly discover that they have drastically different personalities and preferences. Over the course of the episode, the two experience some Odd-Couple esque disagreements that are infused with a heavy dose of sexual tension, but ultimately decide that they can live with their differences and become friends after Katie and Liam ask if they can make the move permanent. 

Jughead finished reading the script before Betty had finished unpacking her clothes. Their conversations, at first, focused mostly on character analysis and motivations - things that might help them hone their understanding of the characters they would be playing. Soon, though, it diverged into talk about their friends and their lives that seemed, all at once, so close but also so far away. When she mentioned Pops, the diner she used to frequent, and its amazing stream of burgers, fries, and milkshakes, he was practically salivating. 

"Betts" he moaned. "I am planning a trip to your hometown as we speak. I  _ have  _ to try those burgers - if they're half as good as you are describing them, I know that they will be a thing of pure magic."

"Oh, you have no idea, Jones," Betty teased. "I think Pops is the thing I miss most about New York - I'm not even joking." 

"Not your family?" He might not be close to his dad, or especially his mom, but when he was away from Jellybean, he missed her like crazy.

"My family was a little… intense and way messed up."

He looked at her patiently, not wanting her to feel pressured, while she decided whether or not to share more. Apparently she decided to tell him, because she looked at him seriously.

"I don't normally tell people this - especially not people I've known for literally twelve hours, but I trust you, so here goes. The summer before my sophomore in high school, I got an internship on a Broadway production in New York City and when I came back, my sister, Polly, had supposedly had a mental breakdown and had been sent to a health facility by my parents, and shortly after her boyfriend had supposedly drowned in Sweetwater River. My buddy Kevin agreed with me that something seemed off about the whole thing, and since his dad was the sheriff, we may or may not have used some of his insider information to do some investigating of our own.”

“So what did your investigation find?”

“The mental facility Polly was in was actually a convent home for unwed mothers, where my parents had sent her after discovering that she was pregnant with her boyfriend’s twins. It turned out that Geoffrey, her boyfriend, was actually a distant cousin of ours, and they wanted to try to hide that ‘shameful fact’ from the world. She was a little messed up by that for a while, joined what I suspected was a cult, but she’s good now. She had the twins, Juniper and Dagwood and they’re seven now, and she’s happily married and in nursing school.”

“Juniper and Dagwood?” Jughead choked out.

“Yep… they were born during Polly’s cult phase. Apparently the names represent spiritual healing or some bullshit like that.”

“What happened to Geoffrey?”

“His dad, my distant cousin, was a part of Riverdale’s deep, dark underground drug scene and he wanted Geoffrey to take over the family Jingle Jangle business. Geoffrey refused and he and Polly were going to run away together. The plan  _ was  _ for his sister to claim that he had drowned in the river, and then Polly would meet him in the woods. His dad got wind of the plan and kidnapped him before that could happen, kept him in an abandoned factory for a few weeks until the search died down, shot him and then dumped the body in the river.”

“Oh my God!” Jughead cried, appalled. “What kind of town did you grow up in?”

“I know, it’s pretty messed up,” Betty admitted. “Kevin and I found the car Geoffrey and Polly had planned on using to run away together, which is where his dad decided to stash his letterman’s jacket… along with the security footage of him shooting his son.”

“Wow Betts. But the police caught the guy?”

“He killed himself before the police could bring him in.”

“That’s messed up - I can see why you didn’t want to talk about it with the group.”

“Mmhmm” she said. "My mom had never liked that I wanted to act, and had always pressured me to find other hobbies because drama would never get me anywhere and because it didn’t fit into the role of ‘perfect Cooper daughter.’ Being an actor didn’t get you into Yale, so it was goodbye drama class, hello newspaper, cheerleading and student government. I remember being so surprised when she gave me permission to apply for that internship before my sophomore year, although now, looking back, I think she and my dad just wanted me out of their hair while they were dealing with Polly. My dad left not too long after I got home, and my mom just went… completely nuts and doubled down on her efforts to make me the perfect Cooper daughter. She said that since Polly had disgraced the Cooper name, it was up to me to redeem it.” 

Jughead looked at her sympathetically.

“And so I just... left... the minute I turned 18. I couldn’t take it anymore - feeling like I’m never good enough. Luckily, Kevin got into UCLA the year before and needed a roommate for his small apartment, so I moved out to California and got a job at a coffee shop while auditioning for every role that I could find. He was actually the one who encouraged me to audition, you know. I think my mom has mostly accepted that I’m not moving back home to fulfill the role of perfect Cooper daughter, but that doesn’t stop her from giving me at least once passive-aggressive phone call a week about how I’m never going to amount to much in the acting world.”

Jug shook his head sympathetically - “your mother sounds like a real piece of work.”   
  
“That is one way to describe her, yes” Betty says with a laugh. “It’s actually a lot better than it was, now that I live on the opposite coast from her. For a while, it got… bad.”

“What do you mean, bad?”

“Bad like…” Jughead noticed Betty clench her fists before she released them and soothed them out on shorts. “ It turns out, my mom had had a baby in high school and gave it up for adoption, and he found her at the beginning of my senior year of highschool. He moved in with us for a while… but there was always just something, I don’t know, creepy about him. He never tried anything with me but home didn’t feel safe anymore. I told my mom about it but she took his side over mine, said that it was her fault because she had given him up and that she could ‘fix him.’ Between that and her constantly berating me, I had enough. Everything that a mother is supposed to be - you know, loving, compassionate, concerned - she was the complete opposite. I think I need to accept the fact that I’m better off without her having a major presence in my life. But it’s hard.”

“It is,” Jughead said sadly. He covered one of her hands with his and gently stroked his thumb over hers. “I think that it takes a pretty strong person, though, to be able to deal with all of that and still have the guts to move across the country pretty much alone, to fulfill a dream that no one says will ever happen.”

They sat quietly together for a moment before she shook her head as if shaking away the unpleasant memories.

"Thanks for telling me, Betty. Really." He couldn't believe that she trusted him with this personal of information, and truthfully he felt honored that she had let him in like that.

She zipped up her last, now empty suitcase, and sat back with a satisfied grin on her face. "Done."

"Congrats, Cooper" he said, moving to his feet and then helping her to hers. "Now, for the highlight of our day."

" _ How I Met Your Mother?" _

_ "How I Met Your Mother." _

It was late when Jughead had finally left her apartment to go back to his own. They had initially sat on separate ends of the couch, but when Betty had looked up a fact about the show on her phone, he scooted towards her to read over her shoulder, and stayed there for the rest of the day. Eventually, Archie and Veronica had recovered enough to join them, and the four of them munched on a delivery pizza while quietly watching the antics of five New York City friends. 

###  ***

Betty found it odd that she already felt so comfortable around Jughead - she had many people that she had known for  _ much  _ longer that she didn't feel like she knew half as well as him, and they certainly weren't people that she would spend all evening and then most of a day with. Laying in her bed later that night, she facetimed Kevin, unable to calm her raging thoughts, knowing that he would be awake and always open to help her process.

"Betty!" he said excitedly when he accepted the call. "I miss you already!" 

Betty could see a tall, attractive man in the background who was walking out the door of her old apartment and she smiled. "Uh huh, it definitely looks like it." She shot him a teasing grin. "Who's your friend?"

"That was my latest tinder date."

"And?"

"Fine in bed, not much else." He shrugged as if to say 'what can you do?' "So what's up?"

"I have so much to tell you!" She spent the next hour filling him in on her cast mates, Veronica joining them on the call in Betty's room when she popped in to say goodnight. 

"I like her," Kevin said enthusiastically when Veronica left for her own bedroom.

"I do too," Betty agreed. "I didn't think that I would luck out on having two great roommates in a row."

"But not as great as me, right?"

"Well…" Kevin flipped her off. "I'm kidding! No one could be as great as you, Kev."

"Damn straight!" He switched gears. "So… how's Jughead Jones?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

"Kev! Stop that! But, he's pretty great, I'm not going to lie. He remembered who I was at auditions, which completely blew me away, and we spent the entire time at the bar last night talking, and he walked me home, and then he came over today with coffee and he was here literally all day."

"Wow. And?"

"And what?"

"What did you talk about?"

"Literally everything Kev - like, I actually told him about my mother and Polly and all of the Chic crap and everything that went down Junior year."

"Wow." Kevin might be the only person in Betty's life who truly understood how significant it was to Betty for her to share this information with Jughead.

"Yep" she agreed, nodding her head. "I trust him. Like completely… which is insane, because I barely know this guy."

"I mean, you did read every gossip magazine about him with me for years. That's got to count for something!" Betty gave him a stern look as he laughed, but then his face grew serious. "Why do you think you trust him so much? Are there feelings?"

"Friendship feelings, definitely. Am I attracted to him, also definitely, but I also know that I don't want things to go any further than this. But I don't know, Kev, I feel like he's been in my life for forever, and that has nothing to do with watching his show or reading about him in the tabloids, because he is nothing like the Party Boy that the magazines make him out to be."

"Are you going to act on the attraction feelings?"

Betty thought for a moment. "No. Probably not" she said finally with a sigh. "Maybe this friendship will fizzle out and amount to nothing, but if we keep going like we did today, he's going to be one of my best friends very soon, and that's something I wouldn't want to lose. And if we were to date, on top of things getting really awkward if we broke up because we work together, I would potentially lose that friendship."

"Well, Betty" Kevin replied, a yawn indicating that he would be hanging up the call soon. "All I can say is that you'd better not do anything too gossip worthy until I get up there! But in all seriousness, I just want you to think about this, ok? Whoever you end up with, Jughead, some other celebrity, or otherwise, their life is going to be a hell of a lot more complicated once you're in it, because this being in a TV-show thing is going to make you famous. And you, Betty Cooper, have always kept the 'what-ifs' in mind, no matter what you do. So I want you to make sure that you're thinking in terms of the 'what-if this thing goes really well,' and not 'what if this goes wrong.' Because Hollywood will bring a lot of reasons why something shouldn't work out. But if it's meant to be between two people, they will find a way of making it work. So don't knock something just because you're worried that it won't work, ok?"

"Ok" Betty said softly. "I love you, Kev."

"Love you too, Betty Boop. Facetime movie night this week?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

When they hung up the call, a text was waiting on her phone from Jughead: a meme of a smiling Barney Stinson with the phrase "Why is it called Puzzles? That's part of the puzzle" running across the image. Underneath he had simply written "to be continued?"

"Definitely." 

Putting her phone on the nightstand, she meandered out to her balcony and stared out at the city lights, contemplating Kevin's advice.

"Just friends," she decided firmly. "At least for now."


	6. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings and angst. All the feelings and angst. That's pretty much it.

A few weeks later, Jughead found himself sprawled out on Betty and Veronica's couch watching as Archie and Betty battled it out over Mario Kart. This was a fairly common way that the four of them spent their free evenings and weekends - he and Archie were frequent visitors to the Lodge-Cooper apartment, and the girls were no stranger to the boys' apartment, either. 

Archie was quickly becoming one of Jughead's best friends, despite the initial differences that seemed to exist between the two of them - Jughead certainly didn't expect that he, the broody author and Hollywood star who was never without his dumb hat, would become such good friends with All-American, high school football star, Archie Andrews. 

And yet, something between the two of them clicked, much like the something that clicked between Jughead and Betty. After their evening at Puzzles and their day running lines and watching sitcoms, he and Betty were almost inseparable. It was a rare day that they didn't see each other at least once, and she had quickly become one of his best friends. The initial attraction he had felt for her developed into feelings, but he chose to set them aside. It wasn't, after all, like she gave him any indication that she felt anything remotely similar. "It's not like a girl like Betty would ever like a guy like you," he told himself repeatedly, trying to convince himself that being just friends with her was enough, both in an effort to preserve their workplace camaraderie, their friendship, and his heart. Besides, he wasn't eager to start up a relationship with anyone, knowing that Sabrina would run a smear campaign on however he ended up dating next to get her name back in the papers. He didn't want to subject anyone to that level of humiliation and privacy violation, let alone Betty.

That didn't mean that he didn't think about her, and what a relationship with her would be like, though. He found himself daydreaming about what it was like to kiss her with surprising frequency - he frequently had to remind himself that friends didn't stare at each other's lips - and it was hard for him  _ not  _ to notice the shape of her body in the tight graphic T-shirts and jeans that Emma preferred, or in the skirts Betty seemed to prefer, that showed off her long legs. He had, once or twice, been so aroused by her tight curves that he had taken himself in hand in the shower and envisioned her, until he was coming hard with her name at his lips. He found himself blushing the first time he saw her after  _ those  _ mornings, but the embarrassment soon filtered away as they got caught up in whatever conversation they were having that day. Better than that, though, were the times that they would fall asleep together on the phone, her breathing providing a steady and comforting white noise that let Jughead pretend that she was falling asleep beside him, rather than two doors away. 

"She's all I can think about, Toni," he told his friend one afternoon as they sat inside their favorite coffee shop. "This has got to stop! Like, the other day, she asked if she could fix up my motorcycle because it was making a noise that it shouldn't, and I almost came in my pants luck a fucking thirteen year old!"

"You need to get laid, Jones," Toni smirked. 

"I need to get her out of my head," he replied. "Her friendship is more important to me than anything else, I'm not going to fuck that up. But I'm not going to get over her by jumping in bed with someone else. I'm not going to do that to some other girl."

"Hey - isn't that her?" Toni pointed to the doorway of the coffee shop, and sure enough, Betty was standing at the counter, a vision in a blue and white floral sundress, sunglasses perched on the top of her head, necessary for the rare sunshine that had graced Seattle that day.

"Yeah - it is." Jughead lifted his hand and waved, calling "Betty!"

Betty looked up, surprised and then smiled blindingly at him. His heart skipped a beat. She held up a finger, gesturing at the counter, and once she had her coffee, she came over to the table.

"Hey Jug! Didn't expect that I'd run into you here - I decided to take today to go exploring and soak up some sun and decided to stop here for coffee, since it was so good the last few times you brought it for me."

"Yeah, I was meeting Toni to catch up. Betts, this is Toni Topaz."

"Hi Toni! Jug has told me so much about you. Big fan, by the way."

"Thanks," Toni said, looking Betty up and down curiously. "Jughead has told me quite a bit about you, too."

"Good things I hope?"

"Mostly." Toni smiled at her, letting Betty know that she was teasing, and then gestured at the chair. "You should join us!"

"Oh, no, I couldn't!"

"It's ok," Toni replied. "Jughead's been talking about you for weeks - I want to get to know you a bit!"

Jughead shot Toni a warning look, which she blatantly ignored.

Betty and Toni got on well, and the three of them spent a very happy half an hour chatting as they sipped their coffee.

"Fuck," Toni groaned, glancing out the window. "This shit is why I'm fucking out of this business."

"What?" Betty asked, panic evident in her voice.

Jughead glanced out the window, following Toni's eyes, and saw exactly what Toni was referring to. Three men with large cameras were loitering outside of the coffee shop, cameras flashing away in their direction.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck" Jughead muttered, eyes scanning the business, trying to figure out an exit strategy that would get them the least amount of attention. "I can't believe they found my fucking coffee spot! If I can't come here to write anymore, I'm going to be pissed."

"I'm sorry, Jug," Betty said sympathetically, while also shrinking in on herself, trying to make herself less visible to the blatant invasion of her privacy. She seemed anxious, her fingers beginning to curl into her palms, and Jughead could see her nails pierce the flesh. He wanted to reach for her hands and give her something else to grasp onto, but he knew that any physical contact would be taken way out of context and that would probably only make things worse. Still, he had to get her out of there - he and Toni were used to this, but Betty was not.

"It's not your fault, Betts. Ok, here's what we're going to do. Betty, put your sunglasses on and pull your hair out from your ponytail. All three of us are going to walk out of here together and we're not going to say anything to them or give them any indication that we even notice them, and we're going to walk down to the marina and hang out for a little bit, until they lose interest. I don't particularly care to lead them back to our apartment. Ok?"

Betty looked freaked out, but nodded and moved to fix her hair. When she was ready, the three of them stood up, and Jughead ushered Betty out of the coffee shop, careful to keep himself mostly in front of her. Without being asked, Toni came up close to Betty behind her, knowing full well that paparazzi didn't necessarily have issues with invading personal space. They walked to the Marina together, the photographers close on their heels, and sat together on a bench, looking out onto the water, careful not to say anything that they didn't want splashed around the media. Betty's body was wound tight with tension, and Jughead had to resist doing anything to help her.

The cameras finally left after they had been sitting for about a half an hour, and Betty let out a sigh of relief, her body visibly relaxing. Jughead could see that, while her palms weren't quite bleeding, they looked tender and sore. 

"Is it always like this?" she asked, nervously looking around to see if there were more cameras around her.

"Not always… but often, unfortunately" Toni responded. "Not as often for me anymore, but it's definitely still like this for Jug pretty often."

He nodded in agreement. "You get used to it after a while, but it's really fucking annoying sometimes. Especially since they manage to take every single thing you do and blow it out of context. They'll probably be saying that we're a thrupple tomorrow."

Betty giggled nervously.

"Try not to let it get to you," Jughead said to her softly. He rubbed her shoulder in what he hoped was a soothing way, needing to feel like he was doing something to help her. "Just ignore what they say or what they do." She blew out a shaky breath and nodded silently. 

"Well, I have a date tonight and I need to go get ready," Toni said brightly as she stood up. 

"Oh? Anyone I might have heard of? I thought that you had run out of luck with the Seattle dating pool?" 

"She just moved to town not long ago. I'll let you know how it goes - who knows, maybe she'll be around." She shrugged and then stood to go. "Betty, it was nice to meet you! We'll have to do this again sometime, maybe at my apartment so that we don't get interrupted. Jughead, lovely like always."

"Bye Toni" Betty said, still feeling a little shell-shocked.

"See ya, Toni." Jughead stood up to give her a quick hug, and then she was gone, leaving just Betty and Jughead sitting on the bench. It was a beautiful late summer's day, and while there were many people around, lounging on boats and in the grass and sand, nobody was blatantly staring their direction, so Jughead let himself relax, letting his head rest on the back of the bench for a moment, listening to the gentle rocking of the nearby waves. The breeze ruffled his hair and blew the scent of Betty's perfume his way.

"You ok?" he asked Betty after a few moments.

"Yeah, I'll be ok. I'm going to have to get used to it, I guess. I don't know why I'm so freaked out by this, I knew that this was one of the prices I would have to pay if I made it big - if this show takes off, it's going to be a part of life, right?" She sounded rather jaded by this realization. Her fists clenched again, and this time, Jughead reached over and soothed her fingers out in his. She looked at him in surprise.

"How long have you done this?" Jughead asked quietly. His thumb stroked softly over the back of her hand, holding on tightly when she tried to withdraw her hand from his out of embarrassment. She finally stopped trying and gripped his hand tightly.

Betty took a long time to respond. "Since high school. When everything happened with the murder and my mom and my brother and Polly, everything just got to be too much, and this helped. And I still do it when something is stressful or I'm feeling anxious - I don't realize that I do it, honestly. I know that I shouldn't… but it helps. I'm on anti-anxiety medication and I'm still having regular appointments through Facetime with my therapist down in LA, but every once in a while, certain situations are too much. Like today. And the first time we met everyone at the bar."

He nodded, but didn't say anything else, just continued holding her hand and letting his thumb sooth over it. After a few minutes, her head dropped to his shoulder. They sat together for a time, lost in their own thoughts. He thought he saw tears glistening in her eyes through the corner of his vision, but she pulled her sunglasses back on before he could investigate. He hoped that it was just a trick of the light. 

Every thought, every fantasy that he had had about telling her how he felt, potential awkwardness and friendship loss be damned, was instantly halted and deleted from his brain. He couldn't ask her to be a part of his world in that way, not when she was already so anxious and scared about what her new found fame would mean for her life. He couldn't bear the thought of her digging her nails in because of something that he had caused, intentional or not. 

"Jug?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For protecting me and… for not judging me."

"You're welcome. But Betty, please, promise me, if things are starting to get too much, will you please talk to me, or to V, or anyone? You're not alone in this, and I know that there are a lot of changes for you right now and it can be so overwhelming. So let us help take the burden off of you a little bit. Please?"

She sat quietly for a moment before saying "ok." 

"C'mon, let's walk home."

They walked home in silence, both of them mentally exhausted by the day, despite how early it was. Still, when they arrived on the floor of their apartments, she pulled him towards her door, seemingly not eager to be alone.

Apparently there had been tears in her eyes at the marina, because her eyes were red when she finally pulled her sunglasses off, and tears were welling in her eyes again. Alarmed, Jughead pulled her to him in a tight hug.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he asked, hands soothing circles into her back. 

"I'm so glad I have you," she sobbed. "I think it's finally hitting me how much my life is going to change, and it's a lot, and I don't know if I could do it without you here."

"Yes, you could. You are strong, Betty Cooper, you're stronger than all of the white noise out there. You can do this, ok? And, yes, there are going to be some big changes. But I will be right here, ok? Always."

She pulled back and looked at him, and he couldn't help but wipe the tears from her face with his thumbs. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch for a moment, and then nodded.

"Come on." He pulled her over to her couch and pulled her down to sit next to him, stretching her feet over his lap so that she could lie down. She looked absolutely exhausted. "You look tired."

"I am. I feel just emotionally drained right now. I might take a nap now, actually."

"Ok. I'll see you later I guess." He shifted, preparing to get off of the couch.

"No, Jug - you should stay. Please?" She looked at him pleadingly, and Jughead couldn't say no, even if he had wanted to.

Instead, he shifted into a more comfortable position, and grabbed the book that was sitting on her coffee table. Not twenty minutes later, though, the book dropped to his chest, and then slid to his lap and to the floor. Betty's feet had shifted slightly, and Jughead, fast asleep, managed to maneuver his body behind hers on the couch and was holding her tightly. She snuggled into his warmth, and both of them were smiling slightly.

They were still like that, three hours later, when Veronica and Archie noisily entered the apartment bearing pizza. Both Betty and Jughead sat up quickly and jolted away from each other, but nothing more about it was said, at least until Archie brought it up casually to Jughead a few nights later over a round of Call of Duty.

"So, what's up with you and Betty, man?"

"Nothing, why?" Jughead asked, hoping to play it cool. 

"But, you're like, constantly together" Archie said, a bit confused. "And you're always flirting with each other."

"Well, I mean, we're friends."

"It seems to me like you're a little more than friends, bro. I mean, definitely looked like more than friends when Ronnie and I walked in on the two of you asleep on the couch the other day. . But, if you're just friends, you wouldn't mind if she and Trev Brown started spending a little more time together, would you? He was asking me if you and her were a thing or not the other day - he thinks she's cute and wants to ask her out."

Jughead's heart stopped. Trev Brown was one of the recurring minor roles on the show, playing an annoying neighbor of Emma's who was always flirting with her. He wasn't a bad guy - in fact, he was friendly and kind, and Jughead didn't have any reasons to dislike him. But, as Archie asked this, Jughead found himself thinking of every negative thing Trev had ever done, and suddenly couldn't stand him.

But to Archie, he just said lightly "Why would I care if Betty went on a date with Trev? As long as he makes her happy, she's free to do whatever she wants." Inside, Jughead's heart was screaming out at him to say something, anything, to make Archie tell Trev that, no, Betty was not fair game, creepiness and misogyny be damned.

"So, like, if you aren't interested in Betty, who are you interested in? I'm up for playing wingman, man."

"Um…"

"It's cool if it's not girls, too, though bro. I'm sure Ronnie knows plenty of people she could set you up with."

"Honestly, Arch, I'm really not that interested in dating." He wasn't entirely lying - he really wasn't interested in dating anyone... besides Betty. "My last relationship ended with a really messy breakup."

"Oh yeah - I think I saw something about that in the papers - what happened exactly?"

Jughead thought back on his long, complicated history with his ex-girlfriend, Sabrina Spellman. She was the star of another show by the same showrunner as  _ Campfire Days _ , and had grown up in the spotlight, just like Jughead. Jughead was initially attracted to her because of her short blond hair, her pixie-like stature, her quick mind, and her supposed understanding of how frustrating it could be when you were never given a modicum of privacy by paparazzi and adoring fans. They had become good friends throughout their childhood and eventually started dating shortly after  _ Campfire Days  _ had ended - her show had ended the year before, but she had continued hanging around him, even as her career slowed while his took off. 

About two years into their relationship, things began to go downhill - she had initially discouraged him from attending college, and as he began to publish his books, she heavily implied that she thought he was stupid for not publishing the book under his real name. Shortly after that, he began noticing that the paparazzi had developed a bad habit of showing up whenever and wherever he was with Sabrina - he could walk in broad daylight to get coffee with his sister, but the moment he stepped foot outside his apartment with his girlfriend, all he could see were camera flashes. 

Tension had grown between the two of them, until, after a particularly nasty fight, she finally admitted that she was jealous of his still-relevant fame, and that she hadn't been in love with him for over a year. She had wanted to use him to help jump start her career over again and nothing more, admitting that she had often been the one to contact the paparazzi. Shortly after their breakup, she gave an exaggerated "tell-all" interview to People Magazine all about their relationship, splashing every aspect of their relationship, real and imagined, all over the tabloids - something that Jughead previously had fought very hard to prevent. 

In truth, Jughead knew that his relationship with Sabrina probably should have ended much sooner than it did - he could see at six months in that they were very different people and that it probably wouldn't work in the long run - but he had enjoyed being with someone who understood the pressures of fame. 

"It just… didn't work out. Irreconcilable differences" Jughead shrugged at Archie. "But it's put me off dating again for a while."

"But, like, if you found the right person, would you start something with them?"

"Maybe." Jughead was eager to get out of this conversation. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. I have an early call time tomorrow." He got up and left the living room, turning the XBox off as he went. 

Jealousy was still bubbling in his stomach when he went into his room, and for the first time in quite a while, Jughead didn't talk or text with Betty before he went to sleep.

***

Betty had never felt so happy or fulfilled- she was doing something she was passionate about, and she was surrounded by people who she deeply cared about. She and Jughead were talking and laughing together constantly, Veronica was quickly becoming one of her closest girl friends, and Archie was a brother that she had never had. It was a rare night when the four of them didn't come together for dinner or to watch tv or battle it out over Mario Kart. On those nights, Jughead would, more often than not, accompany Betty back to her apartment when Archie and Veronica disappeared into Archie's room so she could "help him with his music." Betty felt a little bad that she was taking up so much of Jughead's time in the evenings, knowing that that was when he did the majority of his writing, but he always brushed it off with a "don't worry about it, Betts," so she left it alone. 

And to make life even better, Kevin was finally flying to Seattle to join her, the day before they started filming. She squealed with delight when she saw him at the airport, running to him and giving him a long, tight hug.

"You're never allowed to be this far away, for this long, ever again" she proclaimed when she finally let go. Phone and FaceTime calls on a regular basis had been nice, but not nearly as good as having Kevin in person.

"Missed you too Betty Boop" Kevin said, pulling his bags one by one off the baggage carousel. "It sounds like you've been busy…"

"I have been, I've met tons of people and made some amazing friends."

"...with Jughead Jones" Kevin finished, smirking at the blush that spread over Betty's features.

"We're just friends, Kev," Betty said, leading him out to the truck that Archie had let her borrow for the day. 

"It seems like you spend quite a bit of time with him. From what Veronica says, you two are attached at the hip!"

"This is what I get for letting you and Veronica be friends" Betty mumbled under her breath. Then, louder, she said, "We're just really, really good friends. That's all. Just like I'm good friends with Veronica and Archie." Not wanting to talk about it any more, she quickly changed the subject. "Now, let's head back - Veronica is waiting for us with Chinese food and crappy reality TV and facemasks, and has said that you're the only boy allowed into our apartment tonight." She had the feeling that Kevin would probably bring this up again sometime soon, and braced herself for it.

If Betty was being honest with herself, she was quickly falling for Jughead, but had decided not to act on her feelings - not when he was one of her best friends, never mind the fact that he was her co-worker and that things could get very weird between them if they dated and then broke up before  _ Quarantine Tales  _ wrapped. And - if the paparazzi got a whiff of the idea that she might be dating  _ Campfire Days  _ Star Jughead Jones, she could say goodbye to her privacy, and the privacy of their relationship, forever - their names would be constantly flashed across gossip rags, painting her in whatever light they needed to sell their story.

She thought about the press encounter she had had, that day in the coffee shop with Jughead and Toni. She knew, of course, that paparazzi and privacy invasions went part and parcel with the price of making it big in the acting world, but she hadn't realized how much it could potentially impact her life until that day. True to Jughead's word, the photos of him, Betty and Toni had been published under bullshit headlines that concluded that they were a budding romantic thrupple, and Jughead and Betty had had a good laugh over a slice of pizza, rolling their eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. But underneath the laughter, Betty felt an underlying sense of tension and anxiety that had further put a damper on any ideas she had about ever potentially taking her friendship with Jughead, well, beyond friendship. 

But despite this, she often caught herself staring at him as he goofed around with Archie on set, or as he sat typing frantically on her laptop, and had to constantly remind herself that 'just friends' didn't oogle their friend while thinking about how hard and defined his abs had felt, that day when he had taken her out on his motorcycle and she had held on tightly behind him. 'Just friends' didn't wonder what it would feel like to be pressed up tightly against him, or what it would feel like to wake up next to him in the morning. 'Just friends' didn't long to brush the hair out of his eyes and kiss him until they were both breathless. 'Just friends' don't fall asleep thinking of how safe she felt in his arms, that day at the marina, as she revealed one of her deepest, darkest secrets. 

Several times, she had caught herself thinking about the way he looked as his hair flopped into his bright blue eyes, about the way his entire face lit up when he smiled, and her fingers had wandered into her panties, touching herself  _ there _ , rubbing circles until she was gasping his name as she clenched her muscles wildly. But Betty was always left with a void inside of her as she went to bed alone in her king-sized bed - a void that was slightly filled each time she fell asleep to the sound of his typing or his breathing on the phone. 

She had made her decision, though, she was constantly reminding herself - the show and her friendship with Jug were more important than her happiness, and she would just have to live with that. She could be happy with that… right?

She pretended not to notice that Kevin was looking her up and down like he didn't believe her, but he, thankfully, kept his mouth shut, and Betty skillfully maneuvered them to a safe topic of conversation for the rest of the drive - Kevin's most recent Tinder date.

"So, Kev, how was your date the other day?"

"Honestly, Betty, I don't even know why I bother. I'm hoping to find myself a broody Seattle hipster, rather like your glass of tall dark and broody-" Betty rolled her eyes - "because beach boy is not a flavor that's working for me anymore."

"You and Veronica will definitely get along just fine" Betty mumbled, recalling a conversation she'd had with V not long ago where Veronica had described, in more vivid details than Betty had wanted to hear, about all of the "flavors" of men she had been with. Then, louder, she asked "what was wrong with this one?"

"Wouldn't shut up about a bird that flew by and how rare it is and where you can find it… I mean, my God, if I wanted to know about the bird, I would have went to the San Diego zoo!"

"Poor Kev," Betty crooned, reaching over to muss up his hair affectionately. "V already knows everyone in the Seattle Metropolitan area, and she's already talked about trying to set you up with several of her hot Seattalite 'best gays,' so don't worry, you'll find someone."

"I guess." Kevin frowned, moping and pouting in the corner. 

"What will make you feel better?"

He thought for a moment, and then looked at her mischievously. "If you tell me what's really going on with you and Jughead."

"Ugh, Kev!"

"Ugh, Betty!" He mocked her and she shot him a dirty look as she pulled up to their apartment building.

"If I tell you, will you promise to let this go, and never say another word about it?"

Kevin nodded eagerly.

"Fine. When V goes to bed tonight, I'll tell you."

He crowed victoriously and then gave her a side hug and a cheeky smile. "You love me."

Betty just grumbled and then got out of the truck to help Kevin with his bags. 

Later that night, after a few glasses of wine, Chinese food, and Patrick Swayze sans shirt, Kevin brought Jughead up again.

"So, Betty, what  _ really  _ is going on with you and Jughead?" Betty shot Kevin an "are you kidding me?" look. She couldn't believe that he was bringing this up  _ again _ , in front of Veronica, after she had told him that she would give him the details after they went to bed.

"Yeah, B" Veronica seconded. "You are quite literally always together, and if you aren't physically together, you are either on a scene, asleep, or are on the phone together. I mean, Betty, for godssake, he brought your jacket with him to Seattle on a whim that you might be working together. That's gotta mean  _ something _ ."

"Kev, V, I'm going to tell you this one more time, and then we are going to drop it." Betty was forceful, wanting this conversation to stop. "There is nothing going on between me and Jughead. We are just friends. That is ALL."

"So, you wouldn't mind if I told Trev Brown that you're single, then?" Veronica asked conspiratorially. "He's been asking about you, you know."

"No - I didn't know" Betty replied. She really didn't want Veronica to tell Trev that she was single, but she didn't have a reason for her  _ not  _ to - besides her feelings for Jughead. "Sure, V. Go ahead and tell him that I'm available." Maybe spending more time with Trev and less time with Jughead will help cement to her mind that they are, in fact,  _ just friends _ . Besides - Trev was a nice guy. There were definitely worse guys who could have taken an interest in her. And, if they dated and it got weird, it wouldn't matter - she wouldn't lose one of her best friends, and she was in no danger of ever kissing him on the show, so she knew it wouldn't make work particularly awkward. 

"Excellent!" Veronica clapped her hands, although both she and Kevin looked surprised - she really hadn't anticipated that Betty would actually say 'yes' to her request. 

"Now, if you'll excuse me" Betty said, standing up hastily, "I'm going to bed. I have an early call time tomorrow." Dropping her wine glass in the kitchen, she hurried to her bedroom and shut the door. She felt like crying, and as the tears started streaking down her face, she hurried to her balcony so that Kevin and Veronica wouldn't hear her sobbing. 

"Fuck" she whispered, staring out at the lights of the Seattle Skyline. She couldn't believe that Kevin would do this to her, and she couldn't believe that she had said 'yes' to Veronica setting her and Trev Brown up. Her heart hurt. Because of Kevin, and because of Jughead.

She heard a noise behind her - she turned around quickly, and it was Kevin. He took one look at her tear stained face, and hurried over to her, wrapping her tightly in his arms. 

"Traitor" she muttered as he ran a hand up and down her back.

"I'm sorry. I was out of line."

"You think?"

"I know. I just… I just wanted to see if Veronica had the same inclination about you and Jughead that I had."

"Which is?"

"That you're falling in love with him, and he's falling in love with you."

"Kev…"

"No, hear me out. Please?"

She sighed, but nodded.

"Based on what you've told me, you and Jughead are  _ literally _ always together. You edit his book for him, the book that no one but you knows that he's writing, by the way, and you've told him about your fucked up family. He's seen your hands. I think this boy knows you just as well, if not better than I do. And I've known you since we were five. He's known you for two months."

"Ok, so? All of these things are things that you know too, and I know for a fact that  _ you  _ aren't in love with me."

"But when you combine that with all of the things that V has walked in on…"

"Like what?" For the life of her, Betty couldn't recall a single time when V had walked in on her and Jughead doing more than just sitting next to each other.

"Like the times that she's gone into your room to check on you at night and you and Jughead have fallen asleep talking on the phone together. And apparently there's a lot of casual touching - hand touches, shoulder touches, that kind of thing. And don't forget about the time you two fell asleep together on the couch after he found out about your hands."

"Kev, he doesn't like me like that."

"And you know this how?"

"Because he told me. Or pretty much told me. I read between the lines, but I got the message. He wants to be my friend, nothing more, so friends we shall be."

"Betty B, what happened? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it literally happened like two days ago, and I needed some time to process it before you started trying to analyze it."

"Did he actually use the words 'Betty Cooper, I am not interested in you in a remotely romantic way and only have best friend feelings for you'?"

"Well, not exactly. But I got his message loud and clear."

"So? What happened?"

"Well, the other day when I went to his apartment to ask Archie if I could borrow his truck to pick you up today, I popped my head into his room to say 'hi' and Jughead was FaceTiming with his sister. So he invited me over so that he could introduce me -"

"What? You've met his sister? No way! That's a big deal!"

"Kev! Don't interrupt. This is hard enough as it is."

"Sorry. Continue."

"He introduced me to his sister, and then she hung up and we sat and talked for a little bit. He hadn't shared a lot with me about his family before, but he really opened up to me that day, and told me quite a bit. I think his childhood is more fucked up than mine, and that's saying something. Like, I knew that his mom got him into acting, and his dad was an alcoholic, but it turns out that his dad did jail time about ten years ago for a DUI. I have no idea how they kept that out of the news. But Jughead's mom signed guardianship over to Jughead's manager so he could stay in LA, and then brought Jellybean to another town in California. She just left him there, alone. And she was pretty messed up too, definitely not the perfect parent. Used to go on drug benders from time to time. That's why Jughead fought for weekly visits with his sister, and why he got custody of her when he turned 18, even though he was still so big in Hollywood."

"Oh, shit."

"Yeah, it was seriously fucked up. He even has no idea how his manager kept all of it out of the news. He must have called in some serious favors. But then this conversation led into a conversation about how important privacy is to him. Sabrina apparently used him for his fame quite a bit, she was the one who would call the photographers all the time, thought that getting her picture in the paper all the time would jump start her career again. So privacy is super important to Jug. And then he said to me, and I quote, 'It would be so hard, to do what Ronnie and Arch are doing, having some sort of romantic relationship together, as coworkers, in the public eye. If that goes south, the tabloids will have a field day.'"

"Oh." Kevin's eyes fell and he pulled Betty into his arms again, squeezing her sympathetically.

"Yep. Oh. And to make matters worse, I've gone and fucking caught feelings for him. But I heard his message loud and clear, he doesn't want that, so I'm going to leave it the fuck alone. We are really good friends, and I don't want to lose that. And besides, it  _ would  _ be awkward if we dated and then broke up - we work together. And the paparazzi would have a field day - I mean, they thought that me, Jug and Toni were a goddamned thrupple for God's sake. So, really, this is for the best."

"But it still hurts."

Betty nodded, and a tear escaped down her face.

Kevin wove his fingers through Betty's ponytail, thinking for a moment. "Do you want me to tell Ronnie to call off talking to Trev?"

"No!" Betty said quickly. "I can't be with Jughead, Kev, and no one - and I mean absolutely  _ no one besides you and me _ can know that I am feeling this way about Jughead. Not Veronica, and  _ especially not Jughead.  _ So I'm going to let Veronica tell Trev that I'm available, and hopefully I can get over these feelings for Jughead. Ok?"

"Ok, Betty Cooper. Whatever you want."

They sat together out on her balcony until Betty fell asleep on Kevin's shoulder - her last thought, before she fell asleep, was that she wished that it was Jughead's shoulder instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter 100% inspired by me and my Mr... when we met we worked in the same office and we definitely almost didn't date because we thought it would be really awkward if it didn't work out. Also we have pretty much the same first name so that was also a consideration. I'm surprised (but happy!) we ended up together to be perfectly honest!
> 
> Chapters might start coming slightly slower than once a week... I'm starting to teach an essay writing unit, which always sucks up 95% of my free times with grading.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I love kudos and comments!


	7. Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty goes on a date, and Jughead... well, he doesn't like it.

It was a few weeks before anything came from Archie and Jughead's conversation about Bett, and eventually, it slipped from Jughead's mind. Filming of  _ Quarantine Tales _ had started in earnest, requiring a completely different energy from the cast and crew than was needed for rehearsals. Everyone was exhausted, but it was well worth it when they got the news a few days after they wrapped on the pilot that the show had officially been green lit for a full 14 episode season.

Filming was demanding, without a doubt - Cheryl proudly called herself the "Head Bitch in Charge," and Jughead thought that that described her perfectly - but he was enjoying his time as Jackson. The more he watched Betty act, the more Jughead was absolutely convinced that Cheryl had picked the right person. Their chemistry together was unbelievable - he swore that sometimes sparks literally flew between their fingers at the amount of sexual tension between their characters.

Their chemistry was generating quite a bit of buzz in the TV entertainment world at large. Tabloids were already touting "Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper:  _ Quarantine  _ TV It-Couple… and maybe more?" Jughead always gave a bitter laugh when he saw one of these headlines, knowing that "maybe more…" would only ever happen in his wildest dreams. Still, it was nice to see that people appreciated the chemistry that they had together and that it was creating hype about their show.

Jughead was grateful that, at least for the time being, the night shoots were limited, as most of the story lines happened either in someone's apartment or in a hospital, and that he was still able to spend copious amounts of time off set with Betty. Although, lately, she had been exhausted more often than not, despite the lack of night shoots, with dark circles under her eyes that were beginning to rival his. He brought it up one time, worried about her, and she merely brushed it off with an "it's fine, Jug." Betty was constantly on the go, always baking cookies to bring to set, or wandering around Seattle every weekend, and it was all Jughead could do to convince her to sit still, even just a little bit, and relax and catch her breath.

He noticed that Kevin, who had now joined their little group once he came to Seattle, was watching her pretty closely too, and approached him one day to see what he could do to help.

"She's anxious," Kevin said by way of an explanation. "Now that the show's been greenlit and the media is buzzing about it, cameras have been following her occasionally. Not," he added, seeing the immediate concern on Jughead's face, "doing anything really, and not being obnoxious, but they're there, and she's still getting used to it. And because she's anxious, she hasn't been sleeping, and so she just goes non-stop to distract herself from how tired she is. It's classic Betty Cooper - she was like this all the time when she finally left New York and moved to LA and it took quite a while for her to slow down and relax."

"Is she still talking to her therapist back in LA?" 

Kevin looked surprised that Jughead knew this. "I'm surprised she told you that. Yeah, she is still talking to her. She'll be fine - I think the last time she talked to her therapist, they talked about upping her anti-anxiety dosage, so that will help."

Jughead thanked Kevin and went on his way, finding himself keepings his eyes on Betty's hands, doing his best to notice when her fingers began to curl inward, and distracted her as much as he could, usually by shoving his laptop towards her and asking her to edit his latest chapter. Still, more often than not, when he knocked on her door in the mornings to see if she was riding with him to set, the marks on her hands were more red and irritated than they had been when he'd last seen her the night before. It made his heart hurt, and he doubled his assertions that they could not be involved romantically - he would do whatever it took to make sure that she wasn't doing this to herself, and he knew that being with him would make it ten times worse. 

"I know what you're doing," she told him one evening as he waited for her to finish up in her trailer before he took them home on his bike for the night. 

"What?"

"With my hands. And I appreciate it. Really." She gave him a sad little smile and grabbed his hand, squeezing it lightly for a second. "But I'm ok. I promise. I upped my dosages and I already feel like I'm evening out again."

"You're one of my best friends, Betts. It's my job, ok?"

***

Two weeks later, Jughead found himself suddenly remembering the conversation he had with Archie about Betty in vivid detail, and hating every single minute of it. 

Cheryl yelled "cut" on the scene that Betty had most recently been filming, and Jughead stood as Betty walked toward him. 

"Hey you," he said, falling into step next to her as she headed back to her trailer to take her makeup off before they headed home. "That was great!"

And it was - in  _ Quarantine Tales _ , Jackson and Emma had just begun to realize the extent of the feelings for each other, but were then separated when Jackson had to go to Canada to care for his very ill sister. In the scene that Betty had just filmed, Emma had had an emotional conversation with Kat about how she was falling in love with Jackson, and how worried she felt about him traveling that far away, especially with the rumors that the Canadian border might close any day. 

"Thanks," Betty said, wiping a tear off of her face before reaching over to him for a hug, drained after the emotional scene. "I need a taco and Barney Stinson, stat."

"I think that can be arranged," Jughead replied, squeezing Betty gently before letting her go. They were relatively silent as they returned to her trailer, but Betty gasped as she opened the door. 

"What?" Jughead asked, surprised. She didn't answer. "What?"

"Those are so beautiful!" Jughead followed Betty's eyes, and saw a large bouquet made of white daisies, yellow roses, and pale pink peonies sitting on the counter.

A surge of jealousy hit him in his gut - he had not sent Betty the flowers, so they could only be from - 

"They're from Trev Brown!" Betty announced, surprised, reading from the accompanying card. "Veronica mentioned that he was interested, and I told her that she could give him my number. Apparently he decided to do one better. I didn't expect that anything would actually come of it..."

Jughead's heart sunk. It was official - Betty Cooper was not interested in him. And since his official party line was that he was not going to do anything towards Betty that would even hint that he felt anything more than friendship for her, he had to get out of here, or he would end up saying something really stupid -possibly hurtful, or worse, something that revealed to her exactly how he felt. She deserved to be happy. If that was with Trev instead of him, well… he would just need to figure out how to be okay with that.

"Good for him," Jughead said bitterly, just barely keeping his tone civil. 

Betty looked up in surprise. "Are you okay?"

"Fine - just a bit of a headache. Actually, Betts, do you mind if I head home without you? I'll text Ronnie and tell her to give you a ride home, if that's ok. I think she only has one scene left after this one - she shouldn't be too much longer."

"Oh - okay." Betty's smile fell for a minute, before it was back, shining as brightly as ever. "Actually, this works out better - then I can find Trev to thank him for these."

"Great - ok. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Jug. I'll text you -" he was out the door of her trailer, letting it slam behind him before she could finish her goodbye. 

Jughead was pretty sure his cast and crew mates were watching him curiously as he hurried away from Betty's trailer, especially since he didn't have Betty with him as was their normal routine.

"Hey, Jug, do you have a minute?" 

"No, Cheryl, not now. I have a killer headache."

"But Jughead, I really think that you need to see this!"

He ignored her and continued to Archie's truck that he had borrowed for the day (not keen to ride his motorcycle to work when he was pouring rain), wretching the door open and slamming it hard behind him as he stepped up into the driver's side. Hands on the wheel, he let his head sink back onto the seat behind him, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Maybe he had been an idiot for not telling her about his feelings, and now he was getting his comeuppance for it. Maybe he should have told her, consequences be damned. And now she would be going out on a date with Trev Brown, kissing Trev Brown, even sleeping... His thoughts were cut off by the incessant ringing of his phone. 

He looked at the caller ID - it was his publicist, Dilton Doiley. He groaned, not in the mood to deal with the man, who was often over-the-top and a bit hardcore, but accepted the call.

"What, Dilton?" he snapped, immediately feeling remorse at his tone.

"Jones, we have a bit of a problem - I'm going to need you to come to LA for the weekend - I've already cleared it with Cheryl, and your flight information is in your inbox."

"For fucks sake, Dilton, what is so important that I have to come right now?"

"Trust me, you need to get down here. Look at the headline I just sent you."

Jughead put his phone on speakerphone and then opened the message from Dilton. 

"Oh fuck" he mumbled, his face immediately going pale.

"Oh fuck is right" Dilton agreed. "So I need you to get your ass down here, now, so we can do some damage control before it ruins your career." He paused for a moment. "You didn't - right?"

"God, of course I didn't Dilton! What kind of guy do you think I am?"

"Ok, ok I just had to check. Calm down! I'll have a car waiting for you at midnight tonight at LAX tonight. I'll have a statement sent to all the major tabloids, and if you're asked  _ any  _ questions about it tonight, I want you to say that 'the allegations made against me by my ex-girlfriend are false - I have the utmost respect for her and her career." Do NOT say anything else - it would be just like her to take something else you say and twist it around, and then you very well could be looking at a ruined career. You sure know how to pick 'em, Jones."

"That I do," Jughead said bitterly. 

"I'll keep you updated if anything changes, Jones. Otherwise, I'll be waiting at your place in LA." Dilton hung up and Jughead flung his phone down on the seat next to him, fuming, the message from Dilton still glaring angrily up at him. 

It was the front cover of a tabloid magazine graced with a photo of one Sabrina Spellman, titled "Sabrina Spellman Tells All: Jughead Jones Used Me!"

He sped back to the apartment he shared with Archie, probably breaking several traffic laws in the process, and then called an Uber while packing his backpack with a few necessities - mainly his laptop and a few upcoming scripts. He had everything else back home in his LA home. Then he was out the door again, hurrying to catch his flight that he  _ just  _ had enough time to catch. 

A text from Betty came through as the car neared SEATAC airport.

_ Betty Cooper: Hey! How're you feeling? Archie said you ran home and then were out the door again. _

_ Jughead Jones: I actually have to go to LA for the weekend - something's come up. _

_ Betty Cooper: Oh. Ok. Are you alright? _

_ Jughead Jones: Not really. But it's ok - my ex is spreading some rumors so I have to do some damage control. _

_ Betty Cooper: Jug, I'm so sorry! What a bitch. _

_ Jughead Jones: That's one word for it. I have to go - my car is at the airport. _

_ Betty Cooper: Have a safe flight. Call me if you need ANYTHING, ok? _

_ Betty Cooper: Jug? _

Jughead switched his phone off and hurried into the airport, slipping his hat down further over his head and cramming a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as he went. He could only imagine what Betty would think of him after she read the story. Who in their right mind would ever want to date him, when he had a vicious ex-girlfriend who was willing to say or do literally anything to get five minutes worth of media attention? There's no telling what she would be willing to say about a future relationship with Betty. 

Silently, Jughead sank down into his airplane seat, a wave of self-pity and loathing washing over him. With every mile that passed between in Betty, he could feel his chances with her slipping away. 

It was late by the time Jughead's car pulled up outside of his Los Angeles house. Dilton, true to his word, was waiting outside the door, hands shoved deeply in his pockets.

"Jones," he said, nodding as Jughead unlocked the door. "You look tired."

"Yeah, no shit, Dilton" Jughead snarked back, knowing that Dilton was right - he had caught a glimpse of himself in the driver's rear view mirror when he got out of the car, and the bags under his eyes had bags of their own. "What did she say this time?"

"That girl is a real piece of work, Jones. She accused you of cheating on her and said that you threatened to ruin her career if she ever left you. She said that you had her blacklisted around Hollywood and that that's why she hasn't been able to land a role since her show ended."

"What the fuck" Jughead moaned, fisting his hair in his hands. He wished Betty were here - she always knew exactly what to say, what to do, where to gently touch to calm him when he started getting worked up.

"Also," Dilton continued, ignoring Jughead's theatrics, "she's come out and said that you have become obsessed with 'winning her back ' and that's why you haven't dated anyone since you two split up. Luckily, a lot of this is pretty easy to disprove, and I already have people on my team reaching out to different casting directors. Most of them are willing to comment on the story and will, of course, say that Sabrina is on no such list. But you're going to have to go to the press and give some comments regarding the other half of the allegations."

"There's got to be another way, Dilton."

"Only if you don't want to have a career anymore, Jughead," Dilton said grimly. 

The sun was on its way up before Jughead was able to go to bed that night, the beginning of what would prove to be a long Saturday He left his phone off, only turning it on briefly to text his sister to let her know that he was home for a few days dealing with "some Sabrina bullshit", and to text Betty, letting her know that he had made it and to not expect to hear from him until he was back Sunday afternoon.

Dilton had set up a press conference for Jughead and invited most of the major media outlets, giving Jughead an easy venue to tell his side of the story. He explained away most of the allegations of his cheating, and the threats he had supposedly made, no longer having any qualms about exposing Sabrina for the manipulative liar that she was. By Sunday morning, stories had broken that "Sabrina Spellman used Jughead Jones for his fame!" and "Spellman Lied for her Fifteen Seconds - What Else Would she be Willing to Do?"

"Thanks Dilton" an exhausted Jughead said as his publicist dropped him back off at the airport. "I owe you - big."

"Nah - that's why you pay me the big bucks, Jones!"

Jughead cracked a smile and turned to shut the car door.

"Oh - Jones!" Jughead caught the door just before it closed and caught it again. "When you get back, make an effort to be seen around a girl or two - it'll help quell any remaining curiosity about whether or not you  _ are  _ maybe still hung up on Sabrina. If it's all the same to you, I'd like to end the connection between the two of you for good. Maybe that Betty co-worker of yours. You're friends right? Just let the cameras catch you out and about once or twice..."

"Dilton…" Jughead growled, not in the mood. 

"What? I'm not saying you need to marry Betty or any of the rest of them, Jughead. Hell, you don't even need to go on a date. Just get a few pictures taken talking to a few members of the fairer sex. That's all."

"Fine" he sighed, just wanting to go home to Seattle. "Fine. I'll think about it."

He shut the door and stormed into the airport, easily passing through security and finding his gate. His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out - it was a text from Betty asking when he was going to be home. She had been texting him all weekend, frequently checking in to see if he was ok, telling him to let her know if he needed anything. They hadn't talked nearly as much as they had grown accustomed to in the past few months, but everytime he began to miss her, the little green monster of jealousy would rear his ugly head, and Jughead would remember all over again that Betty was going on a date with Trev Brown. Deep down, he knew that it wasn't her fault that he was feeling this way - after all, he had never told her about his feelings. But the hurt that he was feeling about her, on top of all of the shit with Sabrina left him feeling petty, and he ended up clearing most of her messages without responding. He knew that she would probably chalk it up to him needing to deal with the Sabrina situation, and while he felt a little bit bad at the way that he was ignoring her, he ultimately felt too hurt to spend any great amount of time talking with her. He left this message unread and closed the app.

Ignoring the people who were trying to badly sneak pictures of him, he opened up the seldom-used Instagram app on his instead. Jughead scrolled through the photos idly, until he found a series of pictures of Betty taken the day before and posted to Veronica's account.

She was wearing a tight but tasteful black dress, one that obviously belonged to Veronica, with tight, ¾ length lace sleeves. The dress itself was solid black with a black lace overlay, and while the front revealed almost nothing, the back plunged almost to her waist, leaving little to his imagination. Her hair was done in relaxed curls, and her makeup looked natural. She was beautiful. 

_ @Ver0nicaL0dge: This little cutie has a hot date tonight! _

Jughead's heart sunk - she had gotten dressed up to go on a date with  _ Trev _ . "Great" he muttered, envisioning her curled up with Trev at this moment, just waking up and cuddling closer after a Saturday evening romp. 

Already, there were several comments made by his more... enthusiastic... fans who had latched onto the fact that he was friends with Betty and were fueling the wild speculation about the nature of their relationship.

_ JugheadJ0nez: OMG she went on a date with Jughead! _

_ <3J0nes4life: Back off bitch, he's mine! _

_ JugH3ad: @JugheadJ0nez Jughead is in LA this weekend. She couldn't have been on a date with him. _

He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. In a moment of rage, he deleted the app and then texted Archie.

_ Jughead Jones: Do you have any plans tonight? I could use a drink. _

_ Archie Andrews: Sounds great, man. When do you get home? _

_ Jughead Jones: My flight gets in at 5. I'll just need to drop my backpack off at home.  _

_ Archie Andrews: I'll meet you at Puzzles at 6 then. _

Just then, his flight was called and Jughead quickly shut his phone off, pocketing the device. In his haste, he neglected to mention to Archie that it would be better if the girls stayed home tonight.

***

It was Friday afternoon and Betty had one scene left to film before she could start her weekend - an emotional scene between Emma and Kat that was sure to leave her feeling drained. 

Not that she wasn't already feeling drained. The paparrazi was beginning to latch onto how close she and Jughead were, and while they hadn't started rumors of them being more than friends yet, Betty figured it was only a matter of time. It was exhausting having to watch every step she took outside of her apartment or on set, especially when she was around him.

As she approached the mark Cheryl indicated in preparation to begin the scene, she spotted Jughead watching from a spot close to one of the cameras and smiled at him, already thinking about the tacos they would be having dinner tonight, before curling up on the couch to watch more _ How I Met Your Mother, _ trying to conceal her disappointment that they would be driving back to the apartment building in Archie's truck rather than Jughead's motorcycle. It was her favorite part of the day, those evenings with Jughead, and it was exactly what she needed after a long week of filming.

As far as she knew, Veronica had told Trev Brown that she was available and had given him her number, but nothing came of it. Betty vaguely wondered if Trev had been a ploy by Veronica to smoke out Betty's feelings for Jughead, but real threat or not, Betty wasn't exactly disappointed that he hadn't called her.

Veronica figured her discussion with Cheryl and headed towards the couch on set, her mark for the scene.

"Betty, are you ready?" Cheryl asked. Cameras pointed their way as Betty nodded.

"Alright - then, ACTION."

_ Emma was pacing around the living room while Kat watched her with an exasperated look on her face. Jackson had gotten a call earlier that day that his sister was seriously ill in a Canadian hospital, and doctors weren't sure if she was going to make it. He had taken off for the border at once in his beat up Chevy truck, leaving Emma alone in New York. Alone in their apartment for the first time in weeks, she was finally forced to admit the thought she'd been circling around for weeks: she, Emma Turnbough, was in love with her roommate, Jackson Fairbanks. _

_ "Emma, will you relax? He'll be back!" Kat said, standing up and forcing Emma to stop her pacing. "Now come sit you're making me dizzy. What's really going on here? It's not like you've ever been scared to live alone - you lived by yourself before you met me." _

_ "I need to tell you something, Kat" Emma admitted, looking drawn and pale. "And you cannot tell anyone. ANYONE, understand? Not Liam, not Melanie and especially not Jackson. Okay?" _

_ "Okay…" Kat said warily, eyes searching Emma's face. _

_ "So… over the past few weeks of living with Jackson, things have… changed… between us. We used to barely know each other and now we live together and we're friends and -" _

_ Kat cut her off. "-Oh my God! You slept together!?!" _

_ "What?? No, no. But there might be some…" Emma's voice dropped so low, it was barely audible. "...Feelings that have developed." _

_ "Emma Eloise Turnbough" Kat said slowly. "You've fallen in love with your roommate?" _

_ Emma nodded, a frightened look on her face. Kat's expression didn't give much away, and Emma wasn't sure if Kat was going to congratulate her or yell at her. _

_ "And now he's up in Canada, and they're talking about shutting down the border every day, and then we'd be separated and not be able to be there if something… bad… happened to the other person, and I hate the thought of him being up there all by himself, especially if his sister doesn't pull through and…" Tears were streaming down Emma's face as she worked herself up into a worried frenzy. _

_ "Oh! Emma!" Instantly, Kat wrapped her in a hug. "It'll be ok - I promise. Have you told Jackson how you feel about him?" _

_ "No." _

_ "And had he said anything that makes you think he might return your feelings?" _

_ "We've almost kissed a couple of times. But I'm not sure if that's just sexual tension on his end, or something more." _

_ "Oh, honey" Kat sympathized. "Well, for what it's worth, I think he would be crazy not to be in love with you." _

_ Emma gave her a watery smile. "Thanks Kat." _

_ "You're welcome. Thank God for quarantine bubbles, because now you are going to tell me everything, and you have nowhere and no one to escape to." _

"CUT!" yelled Cheryl loudly. "I think we got what we needed - you two can go."

"See you at home" Betty whispered to Veronica as she pulled her into a quick hug. "Have fun with your scene with Josie and Reggie."

"Have fun with Lover Boy" Veronica replied, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at Betty before slyly glancing Jughead's direction.

"Goodbye Veronica!" Betty responded forcefully before heading Jughead's direction.

A few tears leftover from the scene trickled down Betty's face.

"Hey!" Jughead said cheerfully as she approached him. "That was great!"

"Thanks" she replied, wiping a stray tear away before leaning into his arms. He quickly wrapped them around her in a tight hug, and Betty immediately felt a sense of comfort, of familiarity, of home. The casual intimacy had become a common part of their relationship, but Betty was having to remind herself with more and more frequency that it was not appropriate for her to bury her face into him and breathe him in. 'Just friends' didn't do that. Girlfriends did. "I need a taco and Barney Stinson, stat."

Jughead held Betty tighter, just for a moment before stating "I think that can be arranged," as he let her go. They set off towards her trailer in comfortable silence, both of them looking forward to their comfortable drive home together in Archie's borrowed truck and the takeout and television they would consume afterwards.

As she opened her trailer door, she gasped. Waiting on the counter was a large bouquet made of white daisies, yellow roses, and pale pink peonies. Jughead seemed just as surprised as Betty was, though, and her heart sank just a little bit - whoever had sent her the flowers, it wasn't Jughead.

"They're so beautiful!" Betty said, moving towards the bouquet and reaching for the card inside of it. She skimmed it over - they were from Trev Brown. "So apparently he did decide to follow through on V's suggestion" she mused silently before saying out loud "Veronica mentioned that he was interested, and I told her that she could give him my number. Apparently he decided to do one better. I didn't expect that anything would actually come of it…" She trailed off as she watched a strange, almost pained look cross over Jughead's face.

"Good for him," Jughead replied, in a tone that Betty had never heard before. He almost sounded like he was trying to keep from yelling, and his forehead had creased into something akin to anger.

"Are you okay?" Betty asked, shocked by the sudden change in his demeanor. It was almost as if he was  _ upset _ about Trev… but that was just a coincidence, right?

"Fine - just a bit of a headache. Actually, Betts, do you mind if I head home without you?" Betty's heart sunk. She had been looking forward to her drive home with Jughead - it was the one part of the day, without fail, that she could look forward to seeing him by herself. Jughead continued. "I'll text Ronnie and tell her to give you a ride home, if that's ok. I think she only has one scene left after this one - she shouldn't be too much longer."

Betty struggled to keep a cheerful Cooper smile on her face. "Oh - okay. Actually… this works out better. Then I can go find Trev and thank him for these."

"Great. Ok. See you tomorrow." Jughead bolted towards the door of her trailer, and Betty was confused. Did he actually have a headache? Or had she done something to upset him.

"See you tomorrow, Jug. I'll text you-" Jughead was out the door before she could finish, letting it slam loudly behind him. "-Later" Betty finished dumbly. She stared at her flowers and sighed loudly, the sound filling her otherwise silent trailer. Something was off with Jughead, but she didn't know what. She was fairly certain that he  _ didn't  _ have a headache, but then why was he acting so strangely? 

"It can't be because of Trev, could it?" Betty asked, desperately trying to remember whether he had seemed off earlier in the day. She didn't think that he had.

Pulling out her phone and sending a quick text to Veronica, Betty left her trailer in search of Trev. She found him in Craft Services.

"Hey, Trev" she said as she walked up to him.

"Oh - hey Betty." A nervous looking smile settled over his face. "Did you get the flowers?"

"I did - they're beautiful! Thank you!" Betty was sincere in her thanks, but wasn't looking forward to the question that was sure to follow. "You're doing this," Betty said to herself forcefully. "You are not dating Jughead. You are going to go on a date with Trev, and you are both going to have a nice time."

"So, um, I have a question to ask." Trev stammered, as he took a step towards her. He took a deep breath. "Are you… can we… would you want to maybe go to dinner with me? Like as in a date?"

"Sure, Trev," Betty said, fake happiness coloring her tone. "That would be great!"

"Awesome!" Trev suddenly seemed more relaxed. "Does tomorrow work?"

"Yep" Betty confirmed, slightly disappointed since it meant that she and Jughead wouldn't be able to have what had become their traditional Saturday night movie night. 

"Pick you up at seven?"

"Perfect." And then he was gone, hurrying towards the set where he was needed to film a scene. As he left, Veronica came rushing towards her.

"Was that Trev Brown I just saw talking with you?"

"It was," Betty replied. "He left me flowers in my trailer and just asked me out to dinner tomorrow."

"OMG girl! Swoon!"

"Mmm" Betty responded absent-mindedly. She pulled out her phone and, seeing no text messages from Jughead, debated sending him one to see if he was ok.

Before Betty could make up her mind, Veronica started talking a mile a minute. "When's your date? And can I help you get ready for it? I have just the dress for you, and I know a super cute way to do your hair and makeup - Betty, this boy isn't going to know what hit him."

"Sure, Veronica," Betty said weakly. She had the feeling that Veronica was more excited for this date than she was, although admittedly that wasn't hard to do. "We're going to dinner together tomorrow night. He's picking me up at seven." Then she changed the subject. "Jughead was with me when I got the flowers and booked it out of my trailer because he had a headache and asked if I could grab a ride with you."

"I saw," Veronica said slowly, eyes lighting up with recognition of something. Betty never found out what it was, though. "Well, I'm ready to go, so let's go grab those flowers and head home to start planning your date night outfit!"

A short time later, Betty left her apartment and walked two doors down to Jughead's place. She knocked on the door firmly and was surprised when Archie answered the door. 

"Hey - I need to talk to Jug for a minute."

"Actually, Betty, he's not here. He rushed in here when he got home, backed a backpack and was out the door again. I was actually about to go ask you if you knew what was up?"

Now worried, Betty pulled out her phone and sent Jughead a text.

_ Betty Cooper: Hey! How're you feeling? Archie said you ran home and then were out the door again. _

_ Jughead Jones: I actually have to go to LA for the weekend - something's come up. _

_ Betty Cooper: Oh. Ok. Are you alright? _

_ Jughead Jones: Not really. But it's ok - my ex is spreading some rumors so I have to do some damage control. _

_ Betty Cooper: Jug, I'm so sorry! What a bitch. _

_ Jughead Jones: That's one word for it. I have to go - my car is at the airport. _

_ Betty Cooper: Have a safe flight. Call me if you need ANYTHING, ok? _

He didn't respond.

_ Betty Cooper: Jug? _

Sighing, Betty looked up at Archie, who had been reading the text exchange over Betty's shoulder, and put her phone down. 

"Poor Jug" she said sadly, feeling bad for him and wishing that she could be headed to LA with him, to hold his hand when he needed extra support, to hold him to her when it all got to be too much like she knew it would. From the little that Jughead had told her about Sabrina, she knew how betrayed he had felt when she revealed that she was only using him to help her career, and knew that this weekend would be a rough one for him. Her heart ached.

"Well, I guess that answers our question."

"Yes it does, Arch," Betty replied sadly. "Hey, if you hear from Jug at all this weekend, can you let me know? Something was off even before he found out about Sabrina and I'm not sure what it was. And I feel like he might try to do his 'I can handle everything alone' routine - you know how he gets."

"Yeah I can do that."

"Thanks, Arch," she said again. "I've got to go - I have a date with Trev Brown tomorrow, and Veronica only released me from outfit planning for ten minutes. If I'm not back there soon she's going to send a manhunt for me."

As she walked back to her apartment, she sent Jughead one more text, knowing that he wouldn't see it until he landed. Then, heart heavy, she headed back to her apartment, a look of fake excitement plastered on her face, not ready to face Veronica's analysis of Trev's every move - not when the only boy she could focus on was a thousand miles away from her.

_ Betty Cooper: Jug, I know that this is going to be a hard weekend for you - will you please call me if you need anything? You don't have to be alone in this. And please, let me know when you land. I miss you. I'm worried about you. Please don't shut me out. _

***

"You look gorgeous, Betty Boop," Kevin declared proudly. 

Betty smiled, a bit embarrassed, and looked in the mirror again. She had to agree with Kevin - she did look pretty damn amazing. Veronica, true to her word, did have the perfect dress for her - a black, lace dress with ¾ length sleeves, modest in the front and plunging in the back. It skimmed her figure, somehow accentuating the parts of her body that she liked while disguising the parts that she didn't. Then she had given Betty's hair a slight curl and highlighted her sparkling emerald eyes with a muted grey smokey eye.

"Of course she's gorgeous," Veronica said proudly. "Now we need some pictures!"

Betty felt like a daughter about to go to her first prom - Veronica took an unnecessarily high number of pictures for her. 

"V, that's enough!" Betty laughed. "I'm going on a date, not a Vogue photoshoot."

"Well I can't help it if you look perfect. And I needed some good pictures to show you off on Instagram."

Betty's smile faltered for a moment - if V was going to put these pictures on Instagram, chances are Jughead would see them. She hadn't told him about her date, yet, a bit strange for the two of them, considering that they told each other almost everything. "Well, except for how you feel about him" Betty reconsidered dryly. To be fair, he hadn't given her many chances to tell him - he had sent a response to her Friday evening text, close to midnight, just as Betty was drifting off to sleep, telling her not to expect to hear from him that weekend. All of the other messages she sent him, trying to check on him, trying to make sure he was alright, trying to offer a caring shoulder for him to lean on, went unanswered. She chalked it up to him being busy - she had read one of the recently released articles with the details he had given at the press conference, after all - but she still missed him. 

"You didn't post those pictures, did you V?" Betty asked anxiously. In truth, she couldn't help but wish that this date was with someone else - that Veronica had dressed her up for  _ him _ , that  _ he _ was the one whose mouth would fly open and forget how to speak when she opened the door for him. 

"Of course I did B!" Veronically replied enthusiastically. "You're a total smokeshow. Trev isn't going to know what hit him!"

There was a knock at the door. "Speak of the Devil!" Kevin raced towards the door and flung it open. A nervous and pale looking Trev was waiting for her anxiously. "Hey, Betty" he said as he peered in at her. His eyes lit up as he took her in, lingering just slightly longer than they should on the curves accentuated by Veronica's dress.

"Oh, um, hey Trev."

"Ready?"

"Mmhmm." Betty reached for her sweater and her bag before looking back at Kevin and Veronica. "See you later" she muttered, hurrying past them. 

"See you  _ later _ Betty Boop" Kevin said with an intentional look. The kind of look that quite clearly told her that she would be telling him and Veronica every single detail of her date once she got back that night. 

Betty ignored the look and shut the door firmly on her friends.

"You look great!" Trev said shyly. 

"So do you."

"Shall we? I found a restaurant not far from here, and since it's not raining, I figured we could walk - is that ok with you?" 

"Sure, sounds great." 

The walk to the restaurant was silent. At first, Betty chalked it up to first date nerves, but when they got to the restaurant, a cute little Italian place, things didn't improve. She tried asking the typical first date questions, but after Trev answered questions about movies, books and music with "well, I don't really…" and then said that he liked to play sports in his spare time, Betty knew that it wasn't going to work. She couldn't help but compare the conversation with Trev to the easy, long, meandering conversations that she and Jughead had on almost a daily basis, and her heart ached when she once again remembered the reason why she was on a date with Trev in the first place - to get  _ over  _ Jughead.

Finally, after the waiter had cleared their plates and Trev had ordered dessert for them, Betty excused herself to the restroom. She pulled out her phone, and was disappointed to see that, once again, there was nothing waiting for her from Jughead. Instead, she had a message waiting from Kevin.

_ Kevin Keller: How's it going??  _ It was marked as delivered five minutes ago. "Bless your nosy little heart, Kevin Keller" Betty whispered as she replied to it. 

_ Betty Cooper: SO BAD!!! We don't have anything in common, and now it's just silent and awkward. And now I feel guilty! I have to tell him that this isn't going to work…  _

_ Kevin Keller: What exactly are you feeling guilty about, Betty Boop? _

Betty thought for a moment, then responded. 

_ Betty Cooper: It feels like I'm betraying Jughead… and I feel bad for using Trev as a way of trying to get over Jughead. _

_ Kevin Keller: Betty, I think the only way that you're going to get over Jughead is by telling Jughead how you feel. _

_ Kevin Keller: And yes, I know. He's one of your best friends and you don't want things to get awkward between the two of you/what about working together. But Betty, honey, you can't keep doing this to yourself. I don't think that going out on random dates is going to help you get over Jughead. _

_ Kevin Keller: And you're right - you do need to tell Trev that this isn't going to work - he's a nice guy, but you aren't endgame. _

_ Betty Cooper: Thanks Kev <3 _

She put her phone away and fluffed her hair with her fingers. "You can do this" she whispered to herself before pushing the door to the bathroom open and returning to the table.

She sat down and was steeling herself to possibly break Trev's heart, when he cleared his throat. "This is really awkward, isn't it?" He said it rather nonchalantly, clearly unbothered.

"Yeah" Betty admitted, relieved that she wasn't about to break his heart. "You are a really nice guy Trev, but…"

"We don't have a lot in common," he finished. "It's ok - if I'm being honest, I really don't know if I'm ready to date yet… my last girlfriend and I were really serious and it's still pretty fresh."

"I don't think I'm ready to date either… Veronica really pushed me to let you have my number to begin with…"

"I'm glad that we're on the same page," Trev said with a smile. "Do you mind if we just head home now? Some of the guys were going to watch the baseball game at a bar tonight, and I think I still have time to join for a bit."

"Not at all - I can grab an Uber home."

"You're sure?"

"Definitely! Go have fun! Friends?"

"Friends" Trev agreed. They split their bill, Trev gallantly trying to insist that he pay for both, Betty negotiating for the split since it hadn't ended up being a date for either one of them, and went their separate ways.

As Betty sat in the back of her Uber, her mind drifted to how the date might have ended differently if it was someone else - namely the handsome beanie boy who she couldn't get out of her head. In that version of the date, they would have stayed at the restaurant, a diner maybe since that's more them, through dessert and several cups of coffee, holding hands over the table as they talked and laughed. He would have walked her home, her arm looped through his, or maybe his arm around her, his jacket flung over her shoulders, partially because she was cold, but mostly because he liked the way she looked wearing something of his. She would have invited him in for another cup of coffee because neither one of them wanted the night to end, but he would have kissed her before she ever made it to the coffee maker.

Betty shook her head, clearing what was clearly an over imaginative daydream and pulled out her phone, checking to see if he had messaged her. He hadn't. She debated for a moment before clicking the call button next to his name, above the lengthy message history the two of them shared.

It went straight to voicemail and Betty hung up without a response, sending him a quick text instead.

_ Betty Cooper: Hope you're ok. Miss you! Let me know if you need anything _

A moment later, Betty opened the door and Veronica immediately pounced on her, Kevin not far behind. "Why didn't you kiss him goodnight??" she immediately screeched.

"I don't even want to know how you know that," Betty said dryly. "It just didn't work - we didn't click. We both agreed that it was awkward and he went to a bar to watch a baseball game and I took an Uber home. It's fine." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and then turned around towards Kevin. "Can you unzip my dress?"

"So Trev Brown isn't your type" Veronica mused. "Hmm… I have a few single friends in the area - oooh, I wonder if K.O. is still single and living in Seattle… maybe dreamy boxer is more your type?"

"Honestly, Veronica," Betty responded, "I think I'm ok with just… not dating for a while. I think that I know that I want to dat...want to focus on enjoying being single for a while." Betty quickly covered up the answer that had almost slipped out - she had almost said 'want to date Jughead' - something that definitely didn't need to be shared with the group.

Kevin gave Betty an "I don't believe you" look that she pointedly ignored.

"Single and proud - Betty Cooper I'm impressed! If I hadn't met a certain redhead who is  _ very  _ good in the sack, I might have resorted to online dating - I hate being single. But good for you, B!"

Betty had had her suspicions about Veronica and Archie but Veronica had just confirmed them. Kevin's ears perked up at the bit of gossip Veronica had just divulged.

"Veronica Lodge! Details!"

"Oh crap" Veronica muttered, clapping her hands over her mouth. "And here I was afraid of Archie running his mouth. It's just sex… but praise Jesus is that man good in bed!"

"Do tell" Kevin urged, settling down on his stomach on the living room floor, legs bent at the knees, feet in the air, looking like the poster child for a sleepover movie.

Betty spent the next hour learning way more about Veronica's sex life than she cared to know… although she did figure out that, should she ever need help in that department, Veronica was the girl to turn to. Finally being given permission to go to bed, Betty trudged sleepily into her room. She checked her phone as she plugged it in to charge, and saw that, once again, there were no new messages from Jughead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! It's a slow burn... but we're getting there! 
> 
> Veronica's door eavesdropping is 100% fashioned after my college roommate - on my first date with a guy she heard me outside of our door and literally watched him kiss me goodnight through the peep hole of the door and then interrogated me about it. Veronica and Kevin would totally do that. Just sayin'.
> 
> I love kudos and comments!


	8. Sweaters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is back at Puzzles along with the green eyed monster.

Betty scanned the crowd in Puzzles, searching for Archie's orange hair.

"Oh - there he is!" Veronica said, pulling Betty toward the back corner. Archie had stopped by Sunday morning and asked if the girls wanted to join him and a few others for a drink that evening. Betty had been planning on an evening at home, maybe baking some "I'm sorry Sabrina sucks" cookies for Jughead, definitely having some wine and bad reality TV followed by a good book and an early bedtime. But Veronica had insisted that Betty "live a little," and, in typical Veronica fashion, hadn't taken no for an answer. So, being the good friend and roommate that she was, Betty had slipped into a pair of comfortable but cute jeans and a long sleeved flowy mustard yellow shirt, and was in a loud bar instead of curled up on her couch like she had previously envisioned.

Grabbing their drinks from the bar, Veronica led Betty towards Archie - and, as it turned out, Reggie, Trev and… 

"Hey Jug!" Betty said when they got within earshot. "When did you get back?"

He looked almost angry at her, a scowl on his face and his hand gripping his glass a little harder than necessary, if the whiteness of his knuckles was any indication. But then his face cleared, and a smile crossed his face. 

"Hey Betts" he replied easily, scooting over so that she had room to sit down next to him. "I just got back, like an hour ago."

"How was your trip?"

"Not great - there was a lot going on, and I missed talking with you. It felt like I was missing out on a major part of my day."

"Well, you could have called." Betty was glad to hear that he had missed her - she had been worried that he might have been mad at her for something based on his lack of communication, but maybe he was just busy.

"Yeah, well, it looked like you were a little busy yesterday." Jughead sounded almost… bitter when he said it, and Betty was confused. "Maybe not…?" she thought, wracking her brain, trying to figure out why he was being so hot and cold with her tonight. 

"I mean, I went out last night, but I always have time for you, Jug."

"Hmm." He hummed nonchalantly, tipping his head back to take one last swig of his drink before pushing his chair back. "I'm going to grab another drink - anyone else want anything?"

Everyone shook their head 'no,' and Jughead headed alone towards the bar. Betty sipped her drink silently, contemplating whether she should just straight up ask Jughead if she had done something. A tap on her shoulder startled her - she looked up and Trev was staring at her.

"I called your name like three times, and you were zoned out" he said, stifling a laugh. Betty felt her cheeks flush hot.

"Sorry" she answered sheepishly. "What's up."

"I just wanted to give you back your sweater - you left it at the table last night. I was going to call you today but then I knew I would see Archie later so I figured I would just give it to him, but then he said that you would be coming out for drinks, so I brought it along here."

"Oh - thanks," she said, grabbing the material from him and draping it over her purse so that she wouldn't forget it again. 

She looked up towards the bar, and noticed that Jughead had hastily looked away from the table, back towards the bartender. "He's definitely acting strange" she decided, watching him head back toward the table, eyes anywhere but on her and Trev.

"Here, Jug" Trev said, standing from the seat next to Betty. "I'm going to take off. Bye Betty." He turned and waved to everyone else at the table, and then was gone. 

Jughead's eyes narrowed a bit, but he sat in the spot that Trev had just vacated.

"Are you ok?" Betty asked, worry tinting her tone. "You seem… off."

"Hmm? Yeah - Fine."

"I don't believe you, Jug. I know you better than that. Now what's going on?"

Jughead looked like he was debating whether or not to tell her something when Veronica cut in.

"So Jughead - please explain your whirlwind California trip - I prefer to go right to the source, rather than hear second hand information from tabloids that will twist words however they want to sell their story."

"I'd rather not, Veronica" Jughead groaned, clearly not in the mood.

"Nope. I refuse to take no for an answer."

"It'll be quicker if you just get it over with" Betty whispered, leaning over to him. Truthfully, she wanted to hear the full story as well, but she didn't want to push it, especially when Jug already seemed so off. 

"Fine. So, my ex, Sabrina Spellman, just gave a tell all interview talking about all of the supposedly awful things that I had done to her in the course of our relationship - supposedly I cheated on her and threatened to ruin her career if she left me, had her blacklisted from auditions all over the country and am, apparently, obsessed with winning her back. Of course, none of that shit is true - pretty much the opposite, actually. We were together for like two years, but she had been using me for at least a year of that to try to get her career restarted - pretty much anytime we went anywhere together paparazzi would show up, she was actually the person who convinced me that I shouldn't go to college in person. The best part is, she admitted to me that she was using me when we broke up, and she went and did this shit anyway. I decided that I've just had enough - and flipped it all back on her. The press knows everything, so hopefully that's the end of it."

"I'm so sorry, Jug" Betty said sympathetically, rubbing her shoulder blade with her hand soothingly. He seemed to lean into her touch for a moment, and then caught himself and leaned away. 

"So, moral of this story" Veronica said slowly, "is that you, Jughead Jones, need a new girlfriend to help you get over the drama associated with one Sabrina Spellman. Who do I know in the Seattle area?..." Veronica trailed off deep in thought, and Jughead quickly jumped in, looking alarmed at Veronica's suggestion.

"Please, no," Betty thought silently, her hand going still on Jughead's shoulder. "Please don't set him up on a date right in front of me, V!"

"Actually, Veronica" Jughead said quickly, "I'm really not interested in dating anyone who isn't… well just anyone, I guess. There was so much drama associated with Sabrina Spellman, and I really don't have an interest in inviting even the possibility of that back into my life again, yet."

Betty's heart was all sorts of confused, and she silently excused herself to go to the restroom to give herself a moment to think. On one hand, she was happy that Jughead wasn't interested in dating anybody, and that he didn't seem to be mad at her, had even missed her, in fact. But on the other hand… he wasn't interested in dating  _ anybody _ , including her. 

"Therefore, nothing in your relationship has changed, and you can both just go on with your lives as if nothing has happened. Because it hasn't" she said quietly to her reflection in the single occupancy bathroom mirror. "He is interested in dating anyone, and you're telling everyone that you really just want to be single for now, so no harm, no foul. Nobody ever needs to know." She smiled faintly, confidence restored and exited the bathroom, prepared to do whatever she needed to to help cheer Jughead up.

Except when she came out of the bathroom, someone was already doing just that - a brunette someone, to be exact, whose tight, low cut top left little to the imagination. Jughead had a bright smile on his face and was talking animatedly with the girl, gesticulating wildly with his hands as he explained something to her. 

Betty sucked in a hard breath, feeling her stomach drop out from under her, as if she was free falling from the top of a roller coaster. Except, instead of the normal thrill associated with a roller coaster drop, Betty's drop was accompanied by the feeling of her heart breaking in two. Not five minutes earlier, he had said quite clearly that he wasn't interested in dating anyone, and yet, he was all over another girl.

Betty couldn't take it - she didn't want to take it. Making up a headache, she marched over to the table and snatched up her purse.

"Oh -hey, Betts, this is…" Jughead waved his hand over at the girl, whose breasts, she couldn't help but notice, were very… prominently… displayed. 

"Actually, Jug, could you introduce me later? I have the worst headache and I'm going home. V are you staying here?"

Before either friend could answer her, though, Betty walked out the door at a brisk pace, trying to get back to her apartment as quickly as possible.

"Betty! Wait!" It was Veronica. Betty stopped, willing the tears building in her eyes to stop, to not reveal her secret. It didn't work.

"Come on, B," Veronica said gently, grabbing Betty's hand. She gently pulled Betty towards their apartment, not saying a word, something Betty was grateful for - she needed time to think, to feel, to process. 

Finally reaching their apartment, Veronica handed Betty a large, fluffy blanket and then beckoned her out to the deck so they could watch the sunset together.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Veronica asked softly a moment later.

Betty didn't say anything, just simply nodded her head slowly. 

"But you aren't going to do anything about it?"

Betty shook her head. "He seemed highly intrigued by Boobie Brunette in there" she said harshly, "not five minutes after he said that he wasn't interested in dating anyone. Clearly he isn't interested in dating me. And besides, Veronica, things have he potential to be some fucking awkward, and I might lose one of my best friends in the process. That's not worth it."

"I think" Veronica said slowly, "that you need to decide what you are willing to do for love. Because I think that you and Jughead could really, truly have something completely wonderful with each other. And if you don't think that risking the show and your friendship for each other is worth it, then that is your decision to make. But personally, I think it's a really dumb one. "

She got up to go, preparing to leave Betty alone with her thoughts. "Oh, and B? Boobie Brunette was a friend of his publicists' who was paid to be seen with Jughead for some publicity to shoot down those rumors that Jug is still hung up on Sabrina. She left about five seconds after you did."

Betty sighed as Veronica left. She had some decisions to make.

*** 

Jughead was mentally exhausted by the time his flight touched down in Seattle and he was regretting his decision to ask Archie to go for a drink - right now, he really only wanted two things- to be in bed, preferably with Betty curled up in his arms - and right now, neither one of those things would be happening.

His bed beckoned to him as he delivered his backpack and computer back to his apartment, but he turned and walked back out the door, knowing that a drink might help him relax and wind down after a difficult weekend.

And he was right - an hour later and one drink in, Jughead was feeling relaxed until -

"Hey Trev! Glad you could make it!" Jughead gritted his teeth as Archie beckoned Trev towards their table.

"Hey Arch, hey Jug" Trev answered. He had something in his hand - it almost looked like Betty's favorite cardigan, the one that she was notoriously bad about forgetting at his apartment whenever she went over. "Betty isn't coming tonight, is she? I have her sweater."

Instantly, Jughead's head was filled with images of a semi clothed Betty draped over Trev as the early morning sun lit up his bed.

"Yeah, she and Veronica should be here any minute" Archie answered. Jughead stopped, his drink halfway to his mouth.

"Arch, I thought it was just us tonight?" Jughead wracked his brain, desperately trying to remember whether he had asked Archie to keep it just the two of them.

"Nah, man, you said you could use a drink to relax so I invited the girls and a few other people. Betty's been worried about you, dude. Haven't you talked to her at all this weekend?"

"I was busy," Jughead responded weakly, feeling the tension rise back up his body. The very last thing he wanted right now was to see Betty and Trev… canoodling... together in the corner of the booth.

Before he could excuse himself anymore, Jughead looked up, and there she was, gorgeous as usual in a pair of jeans and a loose top, simultaneously managing to look effortlessly beautiful and relaxed at the same time. His heart stuttered, and an instant feeling of "home" overcame him before his heart fell, remembering the reason why Trev was here in the first place.

She came over, drink in hand, and sat down next to him, bright smile on her face. "Hey Jug! When did you get back?"

He realized that his face was still locked in a bitter scowl, and he quickly forced a smile - he might be feeling hurt, but in truth, he had no reason to be. Betty was her own person, allowed to date whoever she wanted, and it's not like he had told her of his feelings anyway… although Jughead was beginning to wonder if he wasn't making a big mistake in keeping his feelings to himself. 

"Hey Betts" he replied, making room for her next to him. She slipped in close enough that he could feel her body heat, and, damn if he didnt feel good with her beside him again. He had missed her. "I just got back like an hour ago."

"How was your trip?"

"Not great - there was a lot going on, and I missed talking with you. It felt like I was missing out on a major part of my day." And it had - every instinct in his body screamed at him to talk to Betty -when he was happy, when he was furious, when he needed a shoulder to lay all small troubles on. He knew he was being petty, pretty much giving her radio silence this weekend, but he hoped that she would chalk it up to Sabrina and not to him being jealous of her and Trev.

"Well, you could have called." 

"Yeah, I could have, but you would have been out with  _ him _ " the little green monster on Jughead's shoulder encouraged. He did his best to shut him out, but he couldn't help but let a little bit of jealousy slip out into his answer. "Yeah, well, it looked like you were a little busy yesterday."

Betty instantly looked hurt. "I mean, I went out last night, but I always have time for you, Jug."

"Hmm." Jughead felt bad for how he had spoken to her - he needed to take a breather and then come back and apologize. She was his friend, first and foremost, and he was being a really fucking shitty one right now. He quickly finished his drink and headed towards the bar, silently rehearsing an apology to her. "Betty, I'm sorry I'm being a humongous dick… I'm just being a jealous asshole because you went on a date and I would prefer if you went on your next one with me; Betty, I'm sorry I was an asshole and didn't talk to you all weekend, it felt like my heart was being ripped into a million pieces and I didn't know how to handle it; Betty, I'm sorry I went radio silent on you this weekend - I didn't handle this whole situation very well, and I'm an idiot for shutting you out, because you're my best friend and I need you." Given that Jughead had made a very firm decision, for the good of their friendship and for the good of the show, that any sort of relationship was out of bounds, he guessed that the last apology would have to do.

But then he glanced up, and he noticed that she was sitting next to Trev, the sweater now sitting on her purse. Betty looked at him, and Jughead quickly looked away, not trusting that his eyes wouldn't betray his feelings for her.

He tried to sit down next to Archie, planning to leave as soon as he finished this drink, but Trev waved him back over to Betty and then left.

"Are you ok? You seem… off." Betty seemed concerned, and Jughead opened his mouth to apologize, but then he remembered why he had been in LA in the first place - he had a vicious ex who was willing to rake names through the mud to make sure she got another fifteen minutes of fame, and, honestly, he didn't trust himself to talk to Betty right now, otherwise he might end up telling her everything, so he brushed it off. 

"Hmm? Yeah - Fine" he deflected instead.

"I don't believe you, Jug. I know you better than that. Now what's going on?"

She was right - she  _ did  _ know him better than that, and she deserved an apology for the way that he had treated her this weekend. But before he could apologize, Veronica cut in, demanding that he tell his story about the weekend, never mind that that was the last thing that Jughead wanted to do right now.

But he gave in and told the group about his weekend, occasionally glancing at Betty, expecting to see disgust or maybe pity written into her face. Instead, she reached out to him, fingers lightly stroking over his shoulder blades, and he leaned into her warmth, feeling a sense of comfort that he had forgone all weekend, the comfort that he associated with her.

But then he leaned away, knowing that it wasn't right to take this sort of comfort from her. And then Veronica had decided that he needed a new girlfriend to help him move on from Sabrina. "No, no! Anything but that'' Jughead groaned. But instead, he came up with some story about how Sabrina had really done a number on him and that he wasn't ready to date again, leaving out the one important truth that he would date someone… a very special someone who just happened to be sitting beside him.

Betty excused herself and headed towards the bathroom as Jughead's phone dinged- it was a text from Dilton with a picture of a pretty brunette woman attached.

_ Dilton Doiley: this woman is about to walk into the bar you've just been photographed at. She works for me - flirt with her, let a few people try to sneak pictures of you. We need to squash this rumor that you're still hung up on Sabrina. She'll be gone, 10 minutes tops. _

Jughead groaned and slid his phone towards Archie and Veronica when they gave him a concerned look. Archie immediately began scanning the bar for Dilton's friend, waving to her once he spotted her.

"Hi, I'm Candace," she said, her cleavage strategically positioned at Jughead's eye level. He had to admit - she did her job extremely well. She hair twirled and arm touched with the best of them while simultaneously putting her and Jughead in a position to have their picture taken at angles that you could clearly tell who was in the photo.

His eyes were facing the bathroom doors, and he couldn't miss the way that Betty's face dropped when she came out, her eyes tracking Candace's hand placed flirtatiously on his bicep. He could clearly see that she was hurt, although he wasn't quite sure why. "It's not because of… Candace… is it?" He wondered, heart speeding up at the thought. Was Betty  _ jealous _ ? But she's dating Trev now - she couldn't be.

But then Betty came over and grabbed her stuff and left with a headache, waving him off when he tried to explain the situation to her.

Jughead quickly got up to follow her, photo op be damned. Betty was upset about something, and he would be there for whatever that something was, whether he liked it or not - she deserved that much from him.

Veronica waved him down, though. "I'll go" she said, pulling on her jacket. "I think I know what it's about. Why don't you call her later, say in like an hour?"

He nodded, worry filling his heart as he watched Veronica walk away. He suddenly had an idea of what Betty might have been feeling for him over the past weekend, and felt awful once again for shutting her out. He pulled out his phone and sent her a text.

_ Jughead Jones: when you feel up to it, can you call me? I need to apologize. _

Two hours later as he was lying in bed, his phone lit up with Betty's caller id picture, a photo he'd snapped of her one day when they were goofing around on set. He picked it up before the second ring.

"Hey Betts" he said breathily. "I'm so glad you called. How's your head?"

"It's fine, Jug." She still sounded a little bit upset.

"Listen, Betts, I wanted to apologize to you for the way I've acted this weekend - I shouldn't have shut you out - I should have let you be there for me. Can you forgive me?"

"Jug, of course I can."

"Good - because I missed you."

"I missed you too! We're still good?"

"We're good" he confirmed. Then, cautiously, he asked "how was your date with Trev?" Because that's what good friends did - they asked their friends (that they were secretly in love with) how their dates went, (secretly somewhat hoping that they didn't go well).

"It was so awkward," Betty grimaced. "We both admitted that it was awkward and decided we're better off as friends."

Jughead signed with relief. Betty heard it. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, yeah, I, um… yawned."

"Oh, ok - you should get some sleep-"

"No! I missed you," Jughead whined, eager to keep talking with her.

"Ok" she laughed. "Tell me about the girl at the bar?"

"Oh- Candace? She's a friend of my publicist hired to help me squash the last of the Sabrina rumors. She had a date with her girlfriend right after she left Puzzles."

"Oh, well, she was really pretty." Betty sounded almost… relieved.

"Not really my type, Betts," he grinned, settling himself into bed a bit more comfortably. "So what else did I miss this weekend?"

He fell asleep to the sweet sound of her voice that night, sleeping more soundly than he had all weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not in love with this chapter (I felt it was a little too 'middle school'... but I teach middle schoolers so I guess all of the middle school drama is starting to rub off on me), but I felt it was necessary to establish that both Jughead and Betty felt extremely jealous and hurt by the fact that the other person might be dating someone else. We are almost there... next week things will really start to heat up!
> 
> I love kudos and comments! Keep them coming!


	9. Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early post! On this Halloween evening I set myself the task of emailing all of my students with missing assignments, and that ended up being scarier than ghosts and goblins and other things that go bump in the night, so I decided I needed a pick me up! We will resume normal Tuesday posts next week.
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy the next chapter - our slow burn starts to heat up a bit! I love kudos and comments -they seriously make my day, so please keep them coming.
> 
> Once again, I'm going to remind you that I have never been in any way remotely connected to the tv and movie industry, so I've taken some liberties with how scenes are filmed in the story.

"So, how are things in Betty-land?" Toni asked Jughead one day about a week after the conclusion of the Sabrina fiasco. The media had gotten their hands on some of the illicitly taken photos of Jughead and Candace, once again labeled him a womanizing party boy, and then the rumors faded away into the background.

"Back to normal. I apologized for being a dick, and luckily it's Betty so it wasn't even a question of if she was going to forgive me." 

"She's too good for you, Jones," Sweet Pea piped up. Toni had been acting odd since Jughead had gotten to her house a half an hour ago, and she had insisted that they FaceTime Sweet Pea, something that Jughead doesn't remember doing… well, ever. Sweet Pea and JB, yes, but never just Sweet Pea.

"Yeah, I know. We actually have our first kissing scene coming up…"

"And? You're an actor. You've kissed tons of people on camera before."

"I've never had feelings for the girl before though. I'm fucking nervous as shit. And Cheryl keeps stopping us in rehearsal before we can actually kiss." A weird look crossed over Toni's face, and Jughead looked at her confused as he continued. "It's annoying as fuck - she says that she wants to 'preserve the magic' for the camera or some bullshit. Now, why did you call this meeting Toni?"

"What, a girl can't want to hang out with her best friends?"

"Yes, she can. But you said that we had to meet today, and that it was important. And Sweets is here."

"Fuck yeah!" Sweet Pea cheered. 

"Oh, yeah. Well…" Toni seemed to be chewing over whether or not she actually wanted to say what she was about to say.

"What? Spit it out."

Toni looked apprehensive for a moment, and then took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "You know how I've been seeing someone?"

"Yeah, why?" Jug said at the same time that Sweet Pea sputtered "What? No! I miss all of the good shit!"

"Well… you know her, Jug."

"It's not Betty, is it?"

Toni just rolled her eyes. "Do you honestly think that you wouldn't notice if Betty and I were seeing each other? You two are practically attached at the hip."

"I'm checking! Who is it then?"

"It's… Cheryl Blossom."

"Cheryl Blossom?"

"Cheryl Blossom."

"Holy fuck! How did that happen? When did that happen?"

"Wait, pause!" Sweet Pea called out from the computer screen. "Cheryl Blossom as in, mega intense, super red hair, influencer turned director with a super fucked up family history, Cheryl Blossom?"

"Yes."

"Ok, continue."

"I was walking out of your apartment the first time I came over to visit you, Jug, and she was coming out of her place, and we bumped into each other, and at first she was a mega-bitch, but we talked and all of a sudden she flat out said 'You're sexy as hell and tonight I'm going to climb you like a jungle gym until you're screaming out to whatever God you believe in.' And that was it."

"Damn!" Sweet Pea said, slapping his hands against his thighs. "She's perfect for you, T."

"So you've been together…" Jughead trailed off, trying to do mental math to figure out exactly how long he'd been oblivious to this for. 

"Almost since you moved to Seattle? Yep."

"And you didn't tell us earlier because? We tell each other just about everything!" Sweet Pea looked confused, and slightly hurt - he had, after all, come clean to Jughead and Toni almost immediately when he and Jelly Bean had started up, despite the fact that he was scared shitless that Jughead was going to give him the beating of the lifetime for even touching his sister.

"Because we decided to keep it quiet until we knew if it was more than just fucking intense sexual tension. I didn't particularly want my name all over the headlines associated with her if it fizzled out after a few weeks, and she wanted the focus to be on the show and not on whoever she was fucking."

"Holy fuck." Jughead was flabbergasted, and quite honestly couldn't figure out how he hadn't known this before - he saw both Cheryl and Toni on almost a daily basis. Although, come to think of it, Cheryl often talked about having plans on the same nights that Toni mentioned that she was going to see a lady friend.

"Mmhmm. But we've decided that this is more than just sexual chemistry, so we've decided we're going to try being more public about it. We aren't going to try to hide it, necessarily, but we aren't going to flaunt it either. Keeping it to ourselves was a good choice. I think that if the paps had gotten wind of it in the early, early days, we would have imploded before we even really got started."

Something clicked inside of Jughead's head, and he couldn't believe that he hadn't considered it before. 

Toni laughed as she watched a smile slowly cross over his face. "Now you're getting it, Jones. If you keep it to yourselves, the paparrazi can't butt in and fuck things up, and Sabrina can't stick her nose where it doesn't belong. Now are you going to go get your girl?"

He slowly shook his head 'no.' "She has to feel the same way about me first, Toni."

"I think she does, Jug. You're attached at the hip, you literally fall asleep together on the phone all the time, and, from the sound of it, she's told you stuff that she doesn't tell hardly anyone. If those are just friendship feelings, I'll eat your fucking hat."

"And what if she says no? I don't want to lose what we have… I'd rather have that than nothing at all."

"And what if she says yes?" Sweet Pea asked gently. "You deserve to be happy, Jug. Whatever it is that you and Betty have, dude, I think you'd be really fucking stupid to let that slip away. I spent a lot of time trying to tell myself that I didn't have feelings for your sister, and I thank God every single fucking day that I finally took the plunge, because she's it for me."

"I'll think about it," he promised. "I need to get through this fucking scene first, and then I'll get my head on straight."

"And in the meantime, I'm heading over to Cheryl's. She's promised to do some freaky things to me between the sheets, and I'm all over that."

"You mean all under that" Sweet Pea deadpanned.

"Goodbye Sweet Pea!" Toni laughed. He waved at Jughead and Toni and then hung up the call.

"For the record, you should listen to Sweets. He really knows what he's talking about sometimes."

"Yeah, yeah. You have places to be - I'll think about it."

***

Betty sat nervously in her trailer the next day. She had her focus playlist playing softly in the background, and her script was in her hand as she consumed her traditional pre-scene cup of camomile tea, but she could not get her brain to focus on the task at hand. She knew exactly why she was struggling today: she and Jughead were filming their first kissing scene in about a half an hour. Instead of tuning all of her thoughts out and channeling her inner Emma like she was normally able to, Betty’s brain was going a million miles a minute.

In rehearsals, Cheryl had insisted that Jughead and Betty do the scene’s dialogue right up to the kiss, but would always stop them before they could get around to actually locking lips and then would have them pick up right after the kiss ended.

“I want to preserve the ‘first kiss’ chemistry between the two of you for when there is actually a camera present,” she said when Betty had finally asked why. “Jackson and Emma, similar to you and Jughead, have never kissed before. We are at a culmination of two months of feelings that have been building, and after that text conversation Emma has with Jackson, she finally realizes how much she feels for him. She is absolutely convinced that Jackson has a girlfriend and is heartbroken when she sees his text message. When Jackson comes through the door and Emma sees him, she is so hurt, knowing that she can’t have him the way that she wants, and poor Jackson is so confused because the girl that he has feelings for has shut him out. He finally reveals his feelings for her, and they kiss, giving this moment of ‘finally’ after so much tension and misunderstanding in their relationship. It feels so right for the both of them, and they finally let themselves be happy in their feelings for each other when everything else in the world is so messed up. I want that same feeling to come through on the camera between you and Jughead - you don’t know if this kiss is going to feel right, wrong, or somewhere in the middle for you, but whatever it is, I want that on film.”

Betty had psyched herself up for this kiss so much that she had ended up calling Kev to come join her and V for a late night glass of wine and some trashy reality TV to help calm her nerves enough to sleep. Nevertheless, dark circles were deeply entrenched under Betty’s eyes, something that her makeup artist, Katie Keene, had sighed at deeply before using five star cover-up to mask them. 

“It’s just Jughead,” Betty scolded herself. “He is one of your best friends - you wouldn’t be nervous about kissing Kevin, or Veronica, or even Archie, so there is no reason to be nervous about kissing him.”

But she was. There was no point in trying to deny it - she had feelings for Jughead. Feelings that she would never act on, but feelings nonetheless.

Someone tapped at the door.

“Hey Chica,” Veronica said, opening the trailer door and popping her head in. “You doing ok?”

“I’m ok, Vee,” Betty replied, sounding a bit more confident than she actually felt. 

Veronica raised her eyebrows, not believing Betty.

“Ok, I’m not okay,” Betty admitted. “I’m nervous, V. I like Jughead so much, but he isn’t interested in dating, and I know that he just wants to be friends, so I need to get over it, but I can’t help it. And I know that dating him is a bad idea because we work together, and that could make things so weird, and I don’t want to lose his friendship.”

Veronica pulled her into a hug. “Honey, I think you need to take this weekend to think about what you really want. Do you like Jughead and want to be with him? Then, great, tell him that and you can both get out of this awkward, flirting limbo that you’re both in.”

Betty tried to cut in, to say that Jughead wasn’t flirting with her, that he just liked spending time with her, but Veronica cut her off. “B, the boy gets heart eyes every time he looks at you and he is always with you. Trust me - he likes you as more than just a friend. But if you decide that you don’t want anything more than just friends because it puts too much pressure on your relationship, then that’s fine too. But you need to make a decision. This limbo isn’t fair to either one of you."

“I’ll think about it,” Betty said after a moment, picking at her fingernails. “Right now, I really just need to get through this scene.”

“Want me to sit with you until your call time?”

“That would be nice, thanks V. Run lines with me?”

“Absolutely.”

A half an hour later, Betty felt a bit calmer. While she hadn’t decided whether she was going to talk with Jughead about her feelings or not, she felt like she would be able to do this scene without her nerves getting the better of her.

“Hey Betts!” Jughead said as she came around the corner, in an oversized sweatshirt and leggings with her hair up in a messy bun, not unlike the outfit she had worn the first time Jughead brought her coffee and read the script aloud to her. “You ready?”

“Mmhmm I think so,” she nodded, trying to hide the nervousness that she was feeling. The butterflies that seemed to be in her stomach anytime she was around him lately intensified as he smiled. 

“Good. Hey - I wanted to ask you, do you want to come over tonight for a while? Watch a movie or something? I think Toni is going to come over too.”

“Sure, Jug, sounds like fun.” Then she chided herself, having just decided that she wasn’t going to see him this weekend, to give her time to think through her feelings.

“Great - come over around 6?”

“Sounds good,” she said, a nervous smile on her face. She anxiously played with a strand of hair that had fallen by her face, and Jughead reached out and took her hand. The usual jolt of electricity made its way up her arm, followed by an intense feeling of calm.

Jughead opened his mouth and said her name, but wasn’t able to finish his thought as Cheryl bustled into the room.

“Oh, good, Betty and Jughead are both here. Alright, find your marks please” Cheryl said, ready to get down to business. 

Jughead and Betty both did as she asked - Betty standing in the kitchen in Jackson and Emma’s apartment, while Jughead stood just outside the door. Cheryl paced her way over to Jughead first, presumably giving him some last minute instructions, before making her way to Betty.

“You ready for this, Betty? This is a big one.”

“As ready as I’ll ever be to have a first kiss recorded for thousands of people to see.”

Cheryl smiled slightly. “Good. I want you to take a minute right now and channel some of those nerves. Emma is feeling them too - she and Jackson have been apart for two weeks and she is scared that he might not make it back into the country before the borders shut down. They’ve been talking everyday and have had some conversations that have somewhat touched on some feelings, but in typical Emma and Jackson fashion there have been some misunderstandings and she is under the impression that he has a girlfriend who he hasn’t been able to see because of the pandemic. She wants to see him so badly, but at the same time, is scared because she knows it will break her heart knowing that he won’t ever be hers in the way that she wants him to be. She’s scared to say anything about her feelings to him, because of all of the ‘what ifs’ - what if he doesn’t like me like that? What if he does but it makes our friendship fall apart?”

Betty nods her head, not for the first time noticing the parallels that seemed to run between her relationship with Jughead and Emma and Jackson’s relationship. They both have feelings for someone who had become their best friend, but were scared to act on them. 

“We’re all afraid of unrequited love, right?” Cheryl asks her. Betty nods again. “Then I want you to think of a time, now...” Cheryl looks at Betty and then briefly over at Jughead “or at a previous point in your life, and I want you to channel all of the nervous energy, the fear of rejection, the feel of heartbreak that you felt in that situation. And all of the joy, the happiness, the love that will come when it works out in the end.”

Betty looks at Cheryl curiously. Cheryl couldn’t possibly know, could she? She nods for a final time, and then Cheryl moves off of the set. 

Betty took one final deep breath as she waited for the take to begin, and then entrenched herself in Emma’s life.

_ Emma paces around the apartment living room - first to the couch, then over to the kitchen island, then to the bathroom door, and back again, over and over in a continuous pattern. Every few times, she can’t help but pull out her phone and look at the last conversation that had happened between her and Jackson twenty-four hours ago. _

_ Jackson: I think I’m going to make it Emma. They’re saying that the Canadian border won’t close until midnight tomorrow night, and I should be able to cross it earlier in the evening. If you don’t hear from me, assume good things. _

_ Emma: I’m so glad to hear that Jackson! This apartment has been so empty without you in it… _

_ Jackson: Miss me? _

_ Emma: Maybe… _

_ Jackson: I’ve been missing someone too, and I haven’t gotten to see her in far too long.  _

_ Emma: Oh really? Who? _

_ Jackson: Someone really special. In fact, I think you know her. I’ll hopefully see you tomorrow, talk soon. _

_ Emma’s heart ached every time she read that conversation. “He has a girlfriend, Emma” she told herself, her words catching in her throat. “I think you know her… it’s got to be Melanie. You and Jackson are just friends. Nothing more. He’s in love with one of your best friends” _

_ A tear trickled down her face, and Emma hastily wiped it away. Just then, she heard a key in the door. He was home. Emma scrubbed both of her hands over her face, hoping to push away all traces of her tears - she didn’t think she could bear answering his concerned questions about what was wrong.  _

_ Jackson walked in the door, and Emma smiled, half forced, half genuine. He looks absolutely exhausted, but gives a sigh of relief as he sets his bag home. _

_ “I made it” he said, seemingly in disbelief. “I’m home! Oh, thank God! I thought I was going to be stuck in Canada - I’m pretty sure they closed the border like an hour after I went through.” _

_ “They did,” Emma stated. “I was hoping that you made it through, since I didn’t hear from you at all. Want some tea?” _

_ “I would love some,” Jackson replied, dropping his bags on the floor, kicking off his shoes and collapsing on the couch. Emma filled two cups with water and put them in the microwave. She was glad she had something to do - all of the nervous energy that she was feeling prior to Jackson walking through the door had increased ten-fold.  _

_ “Just wait for the microwave to finish, put a tea bag in, and then you can go to bed” a to-be added later Emma voiceover would say.  _

_ “Emma?” Jackson broke her out of her reverie. “You ok? You seem really quiet tonight.” _

_ “Hmm? Yeah… fine, just fine… just… tired, I guess? I’m going to go to bed now, actually, if you don’t mind,” she said as she handed him his cup of tea.  _

_ “Wait - Emma! I actually wanted to talk with you about something… or someone actually.” _

_ “Jackson, you can tell me all about your girlfriend tomorrow, but I’m exhausted, and I really just want to go to bed, ok? Goodnight.” Emma tried unsuccessfully to keep the bitterness out of her voice, and Jackson looked at her, surprised. Tears came to her eyes once again, and it was hard to keep the hurt out of them. _

_ Beating a hasty retreat to her bedroom, she shut the door firmly behind her, just as Jackson cried out - “Wait, Emma - What girlfriend?” _

_ Finally allowing the tears to fall, Emma sank to the floor, her back against the door, her fist against her mouth as she tried to stifle her sobs.  _ Betty prided herself on her ability to entrench herself so deeply in her characters, and honestly felt that, in that moment, she  _ was _ Emma, feeling her heart break just as deeply as she would if this really was her life.

_ Jackson looked genuinely confused and seemed to be debating what to do. He finally set his tea down on the end table and walked softly over to Emma’s room. _

_ He knocked. “Emma? Can we talk? Please?” _

_ More tears slipped down her face, but she did not respond. “Emma? Please?” Finally, the door cracked open, and a look of anguish crossed Jackson’s face as he saw Emma’s tears. Reaching a hand out, he gently wiped the tears from her face. _

_ “There is no girlfriend,” he said quickly. Emma looked at him, surprised.  _

_ “What?” _

_ “There is no girlfriend.” _

_ “Then, why did you say that you were missing someone special? And that I knew her? You were talking about Melanie, right?” _

_ “Melanie? No - Emma, I said that because I have been missing someone special - you. I just didn’t want to tell you how I felt over text, and apparently me trying to play coy didn’t go well.” _

_ “What?” _

_ “Emma Turnbough, in the few months that you have been living here, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. These past two weeks killed me, and all I could think about was coming back home to you. I never thought that you would actually want me the same way that I’ve been wanting you, but then you texted me last night and said that you were missing me and I thought that maybe… just maybe… you felt the same way for me that I did for you.”  _

Jughead’s eyes had an earnest look in them, something that hadn’t been there when they had previously rehearsed the scene. Betty focused on them as they hit the final part of the scene, tuning out all of the cameras that surrounded them. She began to breathe a little faster, out of nervousness, and Jughead reached out and grabbed her hand - 'this isn’t in the script,' Betty thought as she struggled to focus on the remainder of the scene.

_ “And what do you feel for me?” Emma asked, voice shaking.  _

_ “Do you honestly not know?” Jackson looked at her incredulously.  _

_ “I think I know, but we have a habit of misunderstanding each other. I need to hear it from you,” Emma begged. _

_ “Emma Turnbough, I am falling in love with you,” Jackson breathed. “I don’t know where or when it started, all I know is I can’t stop thinking about you and that I can’t bear the thought of seeing you with anyone else. Somewhere in the space of us arguing about editing choices, and debating politics, and massively failing at baking brownies, you have become the person who I want to share everything with - my thoughts, my secrets, my bed, hell, even my life. Please, please tell me that you feel this too.” _

Jughead’s hand gripped Betty’s harder, and now he was breathing faster too. Betty felt her eyes move towards Jughead’s lips - this was it.

_ “Emma?” _ Betty had missed her cue. Jughead’s eyes moved to her lips as well.

_ Gently, Emma filled the last bit of space between her and Jackson and kissed him softly, one of her hands moving to cup his cheek. _

In the final seconds leading up to the kiss, all of the nerves that Betty had managed to push towards the back of her brain had come roaring back. But as Betty’s lips finally met Jughead’s for the first time, her head went absolutely silent, and she just felt. 

Felt Jughead's quick intake of breath against her lips just before they met and the sigh he gave a moment later. Felt Jughead’s hand move up her arm to the back of her neck. Felt her hand cup his cheek and then move to grasp onto his soft, dark hair. Felt the warmth and electricity that sizzled through her body - like the warmth she felt whenever he touched her, intensified ten-fold. Felt the small moan come to her throat unbidden and struggled to keep it inside of her. Felt him gently pull her bottom lip between his and suck gently before claiming her whole mouth again, only deeper. Felt their lips finally part, and felt, rather than saw, the uncertain and surprised glances that they both gave each other before he pulled her into his arms. Felt how right that kiss felt, and felt a jolt in her heart as she realized that she could never be ‘just friends’ with Jughead. She needed more, and all she could do was desperately hope that he wanted the same thing.

_ Finally, Emma pulled away from him. “So where does this leave us?” _

_ “Well, I’ve fallen in love with you. I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me too?” _

_ “God, yes,” she sighed. _

_ “Then that is where we’re at. We can figure everything else out as we get there. For now, it’s been a long two weeks and I’ve missed you. I just really, really want to hold you right now." _

_ “Stay with me tonight?” she asked, her eyes not quite meeting his. “I’ve missed you, and if it’s too fast we can just sit on the couch but…” _

_ “Hey,” Jackson said, reaching his hand out to her cheek, effectively quieting her. “I would love to.” _

_ “Really?” _

_ He nodded. “I’ve missed you and I want to hold you and I am absolutely exhausted. It sounds like you solved all three of the problems.” She smiled and then grabbed his hands, leading him to her Queen sized bed underneath the window. Moving over to the right side, she pulled down the duvet from her pristinely made bed and scooted in before patting the other side. He quickly pulled his pants off, revealing a pair of plaid boxer shorts, and then followed her, his arms reaching for her and pulling her to rest her head on his chest while he wrapped his arms around her tightly. _

Betty could swear that Jughead’s heart was beating faster than normal as she snuggled into his chest, but brushed it off as lasting nerves about the scene. His hand began combing through her hair - also not part of the script - and she felt his nose gently nuzzle into her hair, breathing her in.

“CUT! That was fantastic! Well done Betty and Jughead!” Cheryl said, clapping her hands enthusiastically. Betty had honestly forgotten that there were people and cameras all around her, and was surprised to see how many people were in the room with them. 

Sitting up quickly, a bit embarrassed that she had forgotten where she was, she asked Cheryl, “do we need to run it again?”

“I think we got exactly what we needed. Besides a few unscripted things - brilliant additions, by the way, you two - everything went exactly as it should, and the energy of the scene was absolutely perfect! You two are free to go.”

“Great!” Betty smiled and hastily got out of the bed, quickly making her side up again, out of habit, before dashing off of the set. This was her last scene of the day, and all she wanted to do was change out of costume, wash off her makeup, and process through this scene and all of the feelings from that kiss with Kevin and Veronica, preferably with a glass of wine before she went over to Jug’s.

Veronica was waiting in Betty’s trailer when Betty walked in. Wordlessly, Veronica handed Betty a makeup wipe, and Betty began the process of transforming back into herself, slowly removing herself from Emma. Veronica, mindful that Betty always needed a few moments of quiet as she slowly moved out of character, flopped back on the couch and opened the magazine she had been reading again. When she was ready, Betty came and sat next to Veronica on the couch. 

“How’d it go?” Veronica asked.

“It went… V… I don’t think I can just be friends with Jughead. I have to tell him how I’m feeling.”

“Betty, I think that that’s a great choice. What brought this on, though?”

“Our kiss… it was, God V, it was magical, as cliche as that sounds. My head went completely quiet and it was like he was the only thing that existed. I can’t just be friends with him, not when I know what it’s like to kiss him. But I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t feel the same way.”

Veronica gave Betty a sympathetic look, not envious of Betty’s situation. “When are you going to tell him?”

“I’m not sure… I should do it soon so I don’t psyche myself out, and I’m going over to his place to go to watch a movie tonight, but Toni will be there.”

"Tell her to go away so you can get your man!"

Betty just rolled her eyes and stood up, pulling Veronica up with her. “Come on, V. I need a glass of wine before I go over to his place later.”

***

'Holy fuck,' Jughead thought as he watched Betty disappear around the corner towards her trailer. He trailed a hand up to his lips. He'd never felt like this from a single kiss before - ever. Definitely not from Sabrina.

Because his kisses with Sabrina had definitely not left him feeling boneless, had definitely not left him feeling half drunk with the desire to hold her in his arms and not let go, had not left him with the heady desire to kiss every square inch of her body until she realized just how special and important and amazing she was to him. 

"I have to tell her. I'm going to tell her. Tonight."


	10. Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead have a conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the chapter you all have been waiting for :)

A few hours after her conversation with Veronica, Betty steeled herself as she knocked on Jughead’s door. Kevin had been waiting outside of her and V’s apartment when they got home, and he had come in to have a drink with them as Veronica filled him in on what he had missed that day. He agreed that Betty needed to tell Jughead about her feelings, and he also agreed with Veronica that Jughead definitely had feelings for Betty.

“Betty, for God sakes, he’s practically your shadow on set and you hang out practically every night. The amount of memes that you’ve forwarded to me from Jughead that have ‘made me think of you’ at the bottom is truly astonishing. And, don’t forget that I was watching that kiss scene today - you can’t fake the amount of sexual tension that exists between the two of you. Don't give me that look, Betty Cooper,” he had added at the look of doubt that crossed Betty's face. "I know sexual chemistry when I see it." His face had softened then, and he looked at her earnestly. "You owe it to yourself to see what can happen, B."

She had nodded, fear written all over her face, and Kevin had dragged her into his arms, squeezing her tight. 

She hoped that Kevin was right, but nevertheless, she was anxious, afraid that she might be about to lose one of her best friends, and was fighting to keep from digging her fingers into her palms. As Jughead opened the door, she soothed her fingers down the side of the flowy, floral skirt that she wore, trying to prevent from feeling the bittersweet ache that often followed her when she curled her fingers in. 

“Hey Betts,” he said as he led her inside. He looked a bit nervous, but Betty brushed it off, chalking it up to the fact that she was anxious about the conversation she would have to have with Jughead soon.

They were the only people inside the apartment. “Where’s Toni?” Betty asked. She had expected Archie to be gone, since she knew that he, Veronica, and Reggie were hanging out in their apartment tonight, but she had expected Toni to beat her.

“Um, about that,” Jughead said, shuffling embarrassedly. “She texted me fifteen minutes ago and asked if she could raincheck, said that something came up. Hey, are you ok?"

He stared pointedly at her nails, which had migrated into her palms.

“Oh. Um, yeah, just feeling a bit anxious today.” Betty didn’t know what else to say and her mind began moving a million miles an hour. She knew she should just tell Jughead and rip the bandaid off of revealing her feelings, but she didn’t want tonight to be potentially the last night that they could spend time together without it being awkward. 

He grabbed her hand tenderly, gently plying her fingers away and intertwining them with his, and Betty's heart gave a start. 

"What's making you anxious?"

"Umm… well, Jug, I need to…"

"What?"

Betty lost her nerve at the earnest and caring expression written over his face. 'I can't lose this,' she thought miserably. 

"I need to tell you… that it's your turn to pick the movie tonight."

"Oh. Ok." Betty thought that he seemed almost a little disappointed, but then he flopped his beanie off of his head, something he reserved for her and Toni alone, and led her to the couch.

They quickly settled on  _ Casablanca,  _ an old favorite for both of them, and settled in comfortably, Betty curled up in the corner of the sectional, Jughead right next to her with his arm resting on the back of the couch behind her and his feet propped up on the coffee table. 

'This is good,' Betty decided as she settled into a familiar pattern of trading rounds of film commentary. 'Friends it good. We can live with this.' 

And then Victor Lazlo had to go and say "You know how you sound Mr. Blaine? Like a man who's trying to convince himself of something he doesn't believe in his heart," and he might as well have been talking straight to her. 

And by the time Ilsa said "with the whole world crumbling, we pick this time to fall in love," Betty knew in her heart what she had to do.

Picking up the remote, she paused the movie. Jughead looked at her, surprised. 

“You ok?”

“Oh, um, yep. I’m great. Jug, I need to tell you something."

“I do too," he admitted softly, looking anywhere but her eyes, and Betty's heart plummeted, her nails digging into her palms to ease the hurt.

He noticed, and gently wedged his hands into hers.

"You go first," she offered, eager to escape making a fool of herself if he was going to let her down gently. 

“I don’t know how to tell you this…” Betty’s heart plummeted. She had a feeling about what he was about to say, and she didn’t know which way the conversation was going to go.

“What?” Betty asked, trying to keep a nervous tremor out of her voice. He looked at her, eyes searching her face. “What?” she asked again.

His eyes made their way from her eyes to her lips, staring at them for a moment. Then his hands came out to cup her cheeks, and she forgot how to breath until his lips met hers. His lips were soft and warm and she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing this, and only this - but - Betty quickly pulled away, remembering the conversation that they’d had in Puzzles the previous week. 

“Jug, what are you -? You said that you didn’t want to be with anyone- So why are you -? Why did you-?” Betty was a bit shell shocked by what had just happened, never in a million years thinking that that was what Jughead wanted to tell her.

“Betty, you’re all I can think about. You’re all I’ve thought about for much longer than I care to admit. And that night, in the bar, I was a scared idiot. I knew that I liked you, I’ve known that for a long time, maybe since the moment I met you quite honestly, but I didn’t know if you felt the same way about me and I didn’t want to tell you how I felt and then ruin our friendship. But then I thought about how I felt when Trevor sent you those flowers, and you went on that date with him, and I realized that I would rather try and have the potential of something wonderful, with  _ you  _ than not have it at all and watch you trying to be happy with someone else. Because whatever this is Betty, it’s so fucking strong, and I don’t think it’s going to stop. ”

Betty thought her heart was going to burst. “Jug, you’re all I can think about, too. You’re one of the most important people in my life but I can’t bear to think about what would happen with our relationship if whatever this is between us didn’t work out and -”

Jughead cut her off, squeezing her hands tighter. “Do you have feelings for me?”

“God, yes.”

"Do you want to be with me?"

She nodded.

“Then nothing else matters, Betty.”

“But Jug, our job situation makes this whole thing so much more complicated. I mean, what if we see where this thing between us goes, and it doesn’t go well, and then we still have to work so closely together. I mean, we’ll be kissing all the time for God’s sake! We have to show the same amount of chemistry on screen every single day and what if the paparazzi figure it out, they'll be all over us, and -”

He cut her off again, this time with a kiss. It was longer this time, and she sighed against his mouth as it claimed hers, because 'Good God does this man know how to kiss,' before he captured her lower lip with his. His tongue gently traced the outline of her lips and she tilted her head a little bit, giving him more. She thought he tasted like black coffee and mint, maybe a piece of chewing gum he had had before she came over, and she breathed in his scent of leather and his shampoo that had become a familiar comfort over the past few months. Her hands drifted up to his silky hair, while his meandered down to her waist, gently caressing the bit of skin peeking out between Betty’s tank top and skirt. 

Betty felt fireworks exploding in her stomach - she, Betty Cooper, was kissing Jughead Jones, as Betty and Jughead, not as Jackson and Emma and it felt  _ so  _ right. If she never got to do this again in her life, she could die a happy woman, because she knew what kissing  _ him _ felt like.

Too soon, he broke away. “I know what I want, Betty. I want to try this with you - I want to see if whatever it is that I’m feeling for you, I want to see if it’s something that can last. Fuck - Betty, all I want is to be with you. Do you want that too?”

A happy tear trickled down Betty’s face. Jughead gently soothed it away with his thumb. She looked at the earnest expression of, dare she say it,  _ love  _ that she saw written so plainly all over his face, and slowly nodded. “I do, Jug. I really do.”

They smiled at each other, happy tears still leaking down her face, and their lips met once again, their kiss quickly turning fervent as they both hit the realization of 'we’re actually doing this.' Jughead left trails of fire up Betty’s back as his hands trailed up, under her shirt, and she retaliated by slipping her tongue into his mouth and truly tasting him for the first time. 

He pulled away. “Fuck, Betts, is this actually happening? Tell me I’m not dreaming right now.”

Betty leaned in towards his ear and lightly nipped at a spot in the hollow of his neck behind his ear, before soothing her lips over it. He shuddered. “It’s real, Jug.”

He claimed her lips again, in messy, open mouthed kisses and she was struck with the desire - no, the need - to be closer to him. She swung one leg over his lap, straddling him, and pushed her aching core against his as he took the opportunity to place wet, open mouthed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Her hands slipped beneath his typical S t-shirt, desperate to feel his skin next to hers, his flannel and the blanket long forgotten on the floor. Jughead ground desperately up and into her, trying to relieve the uncomfortable tightness that was growing in his jeans if the distinct bulge in his pants was any indication, and Betty threw her head back, granting him more access to her neck, moaning a quick ‘yes’ when his inquisitive fingers began to inch the bottom of her shirt up, begging for permission to remove it completely. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Betty was glad that she had worn one of her nicer bras, a pale purple lacy thing, and a matching pair of underwear, but that thought was quickly silenced as Jughead lowered his head and began laving kisses over her breasts, taking a moment to suck a bruise into her skin, as if struck by a desire to mark her someway as his. 

'That is so hot,' Betty thought as she wiggled, trying to find more friction to satisfy the ache that continued to grow between her thighs. 

Her fingers tugged his hair gently at the feelings of pleasure that followed his lips across her chest and back up her neck until he reached her lips, giving her another greedy, heady kiss, his hands at her back as he leaned into her, wanting to erase every bit of space between them. He kissed her like he needed her to breathe, like she was his oxygen, and she too, couldn’t get enough of him.

She needed more, and just as the thought crossed her mind, he broke away to breathe, “bedroom?”

“Yes,” she moaned. He stood up, his hands gripping her ass as he slowly walked them towards his bedroom door, his lips once again meeting hers as her legs settled around his waist. They stopped for a moment, Jughead pushing Betty up against his closed door, somehow simultaneously relieving and intensifying the ache between her legs, while he tried to remember how to operate the door knob. 

Finally able to fling the door open, he eased Betty down on the edge of his unmade bed and as she inched her way back towards the pillows, he quickly pulled his shirt off and settled over her, one of his legs between her thighs. 

Betty’s fingers danced over Jughead’s back, scraping her nails across his skin gently once, and then again when she heard his sharp intake of breath. Deciding that she wanted to hear that sound again, she pushed him until he was flat on his back and she was hovering over him - she wasn't disappointed. Her lips and teeth mapped the skin of his upper body - charting freckles and moles and learning the lines of his hard abs. As she hit a particularly sensitive spot, he flipped them again, reaching to grab her hands in his as he kissed her deeply.

Leaning up a small bit, Betty pulled her hands from his and reached behind her, undoing the clasp of her bra and Jughead slid the straps down her shoulders, before tossing it onto the floor behind him. He paused in his kisses for a moment and sat back to look at her.

“God, Betts, you’re so beautiful,” he moaned appreciatively as he took her in. He cupped her breasts, first one, and then the other, before his mouth made his way there as well, tongue teasing her nipples to stiff peaks. Betty felt ready to burst, and he hadn’t even touched her  _ there _ yet. 

“Jug - I need more,” she breathed against his ear and she felt him stiffen slightly.

“Can I - can I touch you?” Jughead asked tentatively.

“Please,” Betty breathed, voice hitching slightly with excitement and desire. She lifted her hips as Jughead pulled her skirt, and then her lacy purple underwear off. He looked at her, taking a moment to take all of her in, unable to believe that she was finally his. He dove back in for a kiss, but she stopped him.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” she smirked.

“Betts, we don’t have t- I’m not expecting anyth-”

“Jug - I want you. All of you. Tonight.” He quickly shimmied out of his pants and his underwear, and tossed them to the floor where they joined the rest of their carelessly discarded clothes.

Jughead’s fingers worked their way down her body until they reached her aching mound. Quickly finding her clit, Jughead rubbed circles into it lightly with his thumb, slowly at first, before working up to a quicker rhythm. 

“Oh my God, Jug,” Betty breathed, hips bucking. “More.”

Encouraged, Jughead slid a finger inside of her. “Fuck, baby,” he moaned. “You’re soaked.”

Betty’s breath caught at what he’d just called her. “That’s what you do to me, Jug” she admitted, pressure building inside of her as he added another finger. Her back arched as he found that blindingly beautiful spot deep inside of her that she was never able to find on her own.

“Jughead - fuck - I’m about to-”

“Let go baby,” Jughead encouraged, working his fingers harder, trying to push her over the edge. His mouth wandered back to her nipples, and as he took one in his mouth and bit down gently, she cried out and her body clenched tightly on his fingers. He continued his ministrations on her clit as he worked her through her orgasm before pulling his fingers away. 

Not yet sated, she turned to him and pulled him on top of her, kissing him until he was breathless. Reaching out, she grasped his silky hardness in her hand, and he gasped, shuddering as he thrust lightly into her hand. 

“Christ baby,” he groaned, thrusting into her hand again. “If you keep doing that, this is going to be over way too soon.” She took her hand away, and he missed the contact, until he realized that he was guiding him between her legs.

He stilled and looked in her eyes. “Betty, are you sure?”

“Jughead, I need you inside of me.”

“Condom?”

“IUD.”

And with that, he slid inside of her and "Oh my God," she moaned. Jughead stilled and she wiggled against him, desperate for friction. 

“Jughead,  _ move, _ ” Betty begged, overwhelmed with the feeling of him  _ inside of her _ . He fit so perfectly - like a piece to the puzzle of her that she didn’t even realize was missing. He slid out almost all the way, before sliding home again, quickly finding a rhythm with her that had them both close to the edge in no time. 

“Christ Betts, you feel so fucking good,” Jughead rambled, lost in the feeling of her, before hitching one of her legs deeper on his thigh so that he could thrust deeper into her.

“Oh my God, Jug, don’t stop,” Betty moaned as he hit  _ that  _ spot. 

“Please tell me you’re close” he begged, as the ache low in her belly grew almost unbearable.

“So close Jug, so close!” He sped up and reached between them, rubbing, as she became a moaning, writhing mess underneath of him. Just as his thrusts grew uneven, she cried out “Fuck, Jug, I’m going to -” 

He caught her lips with a kiss, and she fell over the edge and into bliss, tightening around him, her release bringing his. He emptied himself into her, giving several last, slow thrusts, before stopping and pulling out of her.

"Holy fuck," Betty panted, trying to catch her breath. 

He flopped over onto his back breathing heavily, and then pulled her into his chest. 

“Hi,” he said, a huge, dopey smile on his face. “I never thought that  _ that  _ would happen when Toni bailed on us tonight.”

“I didn’t either,” Betty admitted. “When you said that you had something to tell me, I honestly thought that you were going to tell me that you knew that I liked you but that you just wanted to be friends, or something like that.”

“Maybe I should send Toni flowers,” Jughead mused with a smile, placing a tender kiss against Betty’s temple. 

"Stay the night?" Betty honestly could think of nothing she would like better, and so she smiled and burrowed into his chest, soaking in the happiness that was lying in his arms, knowing that this, whatever this was, was happening. 

"Ok."

###  ***

'Just do it, you coward,' had been the pervasive thought in Jughead's head from the time that he opened the door for Betty that evening. She looked beautiful in her floral skirt and tank top that exposed her delicate collar bones. But she also looked anxious, and Jughead lost his courage as he noticed her digging her nails into her palms, convincing himself that if she didn't feel the same way, he would just cause her more anxiety, which was the last thing that he wanted. 

She looked like she wanted to tell him something, and he wasn't sure whether he should feel excitement or dread for whatever it was, based on the serious look on her face, but then she brushed it off that she wanted him to pick the movie. 

She tried to disguise her excitement when he passed  _ Casablanca  _ on his movie list, and he selected it, even though there were other things he would rather watch, content to spend most of the movie watching  _ her _ watch the movie, content to just sit with her and drink her in while he gathered the courage to potentially ruin everything.

"Play it once, Sam. For old time's sake," Betty mouthed along with Bergmann, an endearing habit of hers that Jughead adored. 

'I can't do this to her,' he thought miserably. 'I can't do this to me - she's one of my best friends, and we work just fine how we are, without publicity or the show making anything weird.'

" You know how you sound, Mr. Blaine? Like a man who's trying to convince himself of something he doesn't believe in his heart," she mouthed, and Jughead was done for. He was done trying to convince himself that he wasn't falling in love with Betty.

'Fuck it,' he thought, preparing to reach for the remote. But then she surprised him, and reached for it herself, pausing the movie.

'What?' he thought, confused. She looked nervous, and they both tried to speak at the same time, and Betty, being Betty told him to go first, even as she dug her nails into her hands, and his heart hurt that whatever this conversation would entail was making her feel the need to do  _ that. _

"I don't know how to say this…" he started, and her face fell, and he froze, trying desperately to fix it, and he couldn't think of the words to make it right, so he grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her.

And, God, it felt so  _ fucking right _ . Her lips were soft, and warm, and suddenly all he ever wanted to do was spend his life as the person who got to kiss Betty Cooper. But then she was pulling away from him and he panicked at the fear that he saw in her eyes. 'Fuck, did I just fuck this whole thing up?' he worried, eyes searching hers as she tried to find the words that she needed.

“Jug, what are you -? You said that you didn’t want to be with anyone- So why are you -? Why did you-?” He wasn't sure if she was panicking because of the conversations they'd previously had about his fears about dating, or because she didn't like him, but he knew that now was the time to lay all of his cards on the table and let the chips fall where they may.

He took a deep breath, silently begging her not to break his heart. “Betty, you’re all I can think about. You’re all I’ve thought about for much longer than I care to admit. And that night, in the bar, I was a scared idiot. I knew that I liked you, I’ve known that for a long time, maybe since the moment I met you quite honestly, but I didn’t know if you felt the same way about me and I didn’t want to tell you how I felt and then ruin our friendship. But then I thought about how I felt when Trevor sent you those flowers, and you went on that date with him, and I realized that I would rather try and have the potential of something wonderful, with  _ you  _ than not have it at all and watch you trying to be happy with someone else. Because whatever this is Betty, it’s so fucking strong, and I don’t think it’s going to stop. ” A look of realization, and, dare he say it, hope, dawned across her face, and suddenly he felt totally and completely happy.

“Jug, you’re all I can think about, too. You’re one of the most important people in my life but I can’t bear to think about what would happen with our relationship if whatever this is between us didn’t work out and -”

Christ, that part scared him too, but he wanted to try this with her, and he needed her to know that. “Do you have feelings for me?”

“God, yes.”

"Do you want to be with me?"

She nodded. His heart soared.

“Then nothing else matters, Betty.”

“But Jug, our job situation makes this whole thing so much more complicated. I mean, what if we see where this thing between us goes, and it doesn’t go well, and then we still have to work so closely together. I mean, we’ll be kissing all the time for God’s sake! We have to show the same amount of chemistry on screen every single day and what if the paparazzi figure it out, they'll be all over us, and -”

She was panicking again, trying to talk them both out of this, but he wouldn't let her. If she didn't want him, didn't want  _ them _ , then that was one thing. But if she wanted this and wouldn't take it because of what might happen - he couldn't let that happen - and he cut her off with his lips on hers.

And suddenly his hands were desperate to find some patch of skin - any patch of skin that he could find, and he wanted to get lost in her mouth, in her touch, but he needed to make absolutely sure that this was what she wanted. 

“I know what I want, Betty. I want to try this with you - I want to see if whatever it is that I’m feeling for you, I want to see if it’s something that can last. Fuck - Betty, all I want is to be with you. Do you want that too?”

A tear meandered down her face, a happy tear judging by the look of, dare he think it, love in her eyes, and he wiped it away with his thumb, letting his palm cup her face as she nodded at him.

“I do, Jug. I really do.”

And then he was kissing her again, and 'Fuck, this has got to be a dream, but if it is I don't want to wake up,' but he asked her to make sure, thinking that he just might lose it if he opened his eyes right now to an empty room.

"Fuck, Betts, is this actually happening? Tell me I’m not dreaming right now.”

“It’s real, Jug.”

And then she was in his lap, both of them desperate for more as they shed first their shirts and then their pants in their migration from the couch to his bedroom, with one delicious interlude at his bedroom door, desperately trying to concentrate on opening the door as she pressed her half naked body tightly against his, desperate for friction as he grew uncomfortably hard in his jeans.

Then she was on top of him, nipping and exploring his body as he gasped and writhed beneath her, and he didn't think that he had ever seen anything sexier, and he took a deep, shuddering breath as he tried to calm himself lest this be over before it started.

He didn't think it was possible for him to be any harder, but then she breathed “Jug - I need more” and he was proven wrong as he pulled off the last pieces of her clothing and she whispered "I want you. All of you. Tonight."

Jughead thought that his heart was going to leap out of his chest, and then he felt Betty reach out and cup him, achingly hard in his boxers, before ridding him of his last items of clothing, and then his fingers were on her, in her, eager to bring her to release, to be the one who got to watch her as she fell over the edge, all because of him.

She was soaking wet, and all he could wonder was how she would taste and how she would feel as she was wrapped tightly around him, and then she was on him, desperate for more as she took him in her hand and stroked gently.

“Christ baby,” he groaned, thrusting into her hand again. “If you keep doing that, this is going to be over way too soon.” She took her hand away, and he missed the contact, until he realized that he was guiding him between her legs, and then he was inside of her, and she was warm, and wet, and so fucking tight, and he stilled for a minute as he bottomed out, breathing to keep from embarrassing himself like a hormonal teenage boy.

He never imagined that this was how tonight would go, and he was overwhelmed with the feeling of being connected to her in this way, in a way that he never thought he would get to experience.

“Jughead,  _ move, _ ” she begged, and he moved, quickly setting a rhythm that had them both desperate for release.

“Christ Betts you feel so fucking good,” Jughead rambled, lost in the feeling of her, before hitching one of her legs higher on his thigh so that he could thrust deeper into her, high on the feeling of her and on the sinful moans that escaped from her mouth as he plunged in and out of her. 

“Please tell me you’re close,” he begged, feeling himself come closer and closer to the edge, unsure of if it was even in his power to hold it off.

“So close Jug, so close!” He sped up and reached between them, rubbing, as she became a moaning, writhing mess underneath of him. Just as Jughead thought that he could hold back no more, she cried out “Fuck, Jug, I’m going to -” 

He caught her lips with a kiss, and felt himself fall over the edge and into bliss as she tightened around him, her release bringing his. He emptied himself into her harder than he ever had before, giving several last, slow thrusts, before stopping and pulling out of her.

He gave a contented sigh as he pulled her into his arms and asked "Stay the night?" 

Jughead didn't want her to leave his arms tonight - he'd spent so long dreaming about having her with him in his bed, curled tightly around her, that he was loathe to let her go. He wouldn't say no to the possibility of a round two… or three either.

"Ok," she said shyly, burrowing into his chest. Jughead sighed happily. Tonight had gone better than he had ever thought it would, even in his wildest dreams. 

Begrudgingly, and all too quickly for Jughead’s taste, Betty pulled away and got out of bed.

“Wait! Where are you going? Come back,” Jughead whined.

“I’ll be right back,” Betty smirked. “Bathroom.” She tugged Jughead’s discarded t-shirt on over her head and slipped back into her panties. He had never seen anything sexier than the sight of her in his shirt - and practically nothing else.

While she was gone, he slipped into a t-shirt and boxers before turning out all of the lights besides his bedside lamp. He quickly texted Veronica from his phone, making up a lie that Betty had fallen asleep on his couch during their movie and she looked so peaceful that he didn't want to wake her, and then turned his phone off, seeing as the only person he ever talked too late into the night would be spending it beside him. 

True to her word, she was back a moment later, and she climbed into bed, quickly nestling her way under his arm. She pressed a kiss to his chest before speaking. “We should probably talk about some logistics.”

“You’re probably right,” he acknowledged. "I just texted V… but I told her that you were spending the night on my couch, to give us a little bit of time to talk about how we wanted to do this without her freaking out and dragging you away to hear details."

She nodded absent-mindedly, obviously deep in her thoughts. “What would you think…” Betty began hesitantly, and then she stopped.

“What would I think?” he encouraged her to continue. “What would I think about what, Betts?”

“What would you think… about keeping this… relationship… or whatever you want to call it… between us, at least for a little while? It’s not that I’m ashamed of you or anything, I promise, it’s just that if Veronica and Archie figure it out we’ll never hear the end of it and they'll be all up in our business, and if Cheryl finds out we might have to go to HR and if the public finds out they’ll be trying to take pictures of us all the time, and it’s just a ton of pressure on a new relationship and…”

“Betty. Betty! Calm down. As much as I’d like to yell it from the rooftops, I think you’re probably right. I think that we should tell everyone that we decided that we were better off as friends, at least until we know for sure that this is going to last. And  _ when  _ we decide to tell our friends -”

Betty smiled at his use of ‘when’ and not ‘if.’

“-we can do our best to keep it on the downlow from the public for as long as possible, to keep them from sticking their noses into our relationship for as long as possible. Ok?”

“Ok.” Betty nodded and smiled, relaxing into him again. 

“So I guess there’s just one more thing, then.”

“What, Jug?” Betty asked.

“Betty Cooper, will you be my secret girlfriend?”

“Jughead Jones, I thought you would never ask.”

She giggled and he kissed her passionately before turning off the bedside lamp and rolling over to tuck his body in behind his, spooning her.

"Mmhh" she signed happily. "You have no idea how long I've wanted this."

"Oh, I think I do Betts" Jughead whispered darkly. "Worth the wait." 

As he drifted off to sleep, wrapped around Betty, his nose buried in her hair and his hand gently stroking the skin on her stomach, he briefly wondered how he was going to keep pretending like they were 'just friends' in front of their friends.

“Fuck it - we’ll figure it out tomorrow” was the last thing he thought before he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've never seen Casablanca, I highly recommend it! Hope you enjoyed! Please leave kudos and comments :D


	11. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Betty likes Jughead, Jughead likes Betty, Kevin is nosy, and Veronica and Archie need to figure out some communication skills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I be writing lesson plans right now instead of writing fanfiction? Yes. But I'm literal seconds from pulling my hair out and I need a break. Like, for real. Tomorrow is the first day that I've had off all school year, including weekends, because teaching online and in person to alternating groups on alternating days requires twice as much planning and work, but paying me extra or giving me extra planning hours during my contract time would be crazy, apparently. 
> 
> Therefore, I give you: tired, overworked teacher writing fanfiction to cope... Not my best look :(
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy! This is just a cute, fluffy chapter, because our world needs a little more cute fluff. Please leave comments and kudos. You have no idea how much they make my day!

Something was tickling Jughead's nose as he woke up the next morning. Groggily wiping it away, he opened his eyes slightly to see blonde. Betty. She was curled next to him with her head buried in his chest, her legs intertwined with his, and he smiled as he remembered what had happened last night. Or, rather, the three somethings. He held her a little tighter, wishing that this was the way he could always start his mornings from here on out.

He felt her stir and a moment later she opened her eyes, giving him a sleepy smile. "G'morning. What time is it?"

"It's still early," he said, grabbing his phone with the hand that wasn't holding onto her. "Around eight-ish."

"Mmhhh," Bettty sighed happily, cuddling her head deeper into his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. "I like waking up like this."

"I do, too," Jughead admitted as he pressed a gentle kiss to her head. "This is real, right? This isn't some cruel dream that I'm going to wake up from listening to the dulcet tones of Ronnie and Arch furiously banging next door, right?"

Betty grabbed his hand from where it was idly drawing circles in her hip bone and intertwined their fingers.

"If it is a dream," she said slowly, "I don't want to wake up. I was so scared last night, when you said you had something to tell me… I thought you were going to tell me that you had figured out my feelings and that you weren't interested, and then I was going to lose you."

"You are one of my best friends, Cooper. That's not going away." He truthfully couldn't imagine what his life would be like without her in it, and honestly, he didn't want to find out.

"Promise?"

"I promise." They shifted their bodies so that Jughead lay behind her, his chest pressed to her back, his face buried in neck, content to just lay there, together, and doze the morning lazily away.

They laid there, contentedly dozing until Betty's phone buzzed, startling them both. He handed her the phone and she skimmed the text.

"I'm being summoned by Veronica and Kevin for breakfast out at V's new favorite brunch spot."

"Tell her you can't," Jughead said, sneakily laying kisses up her neck, hand creeping further and further up her thigh.

"As much as I want to - ah, Jug! - stay here, it will probably look suspicious if I stay here all day - I was supposed to be over telling you how I felt about you, and we decided to just be friends, remember? Friends without feelings don't spend the night and then the whole day together. She's already going to be suspicious as is because I didn't come home last night, regardless of the excuse that you gave her."

"You're probably right," Jughead whined, leaning up to give her one last kiss. She crawled out of bed and began dressing in her clothes from yesterday. Spying a flannel on the back of a chair, she pulled it on over her tank top. Jughead's eyes widened, pupils filled with lust. 

"Jesus, Betts," he groaned. "If you don't leave this room right now, I make no promises that you'll make it to breakfast."

She giggled. "I'll call you later."

She walked out his bedroom door and he sunk back into his mattress with a groan, but then he heard running and Betty was next to him again.

"Wha-"

She cut him off with a hard kiss. "This is happening," she said as if unable to believe it.

"Better believe it, Cooper," he said dryly. "Now go before I kidnap you and make you stay in my bed all day!"

***

After a quick shower, Betty threw on a sundress, noting that the weather seemed to be following her mood as the sun was shining brightly, a relatively rare occurrence in Seattle. Her phone buzzed.

_ Jughead Jones: I am completely regretting letting you leave my bed. _

A moment later another one came in.

_ Jughead Jones: Come back. _

She giggled, shaking her head at him. She responded quickly.

_ Betty Cooper: you know that Veronica would have showed up and your apartment and dragged me away if I hadn't responded. And that would have put an end to our keeping this secret until we figure it out. _

_ Betty Cooper: I'll try to come over this afternoon - Veronica is doing something with Cheryl and I think Arch mentioned watching the game at the bar, so we can be alone. _

_ Jughead Jones: <3 _

"So, how'd it go?" Kevin asked as Betty sat down at brunch. "V says you never made it home last night." He gave a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

"Hi Kev, hi V! How are you today? Oh, you're good, I'm good too! Thanks for asking!" She gave her friends pointed looks, but they ignored them, digging into the eggs benedict and fresh fruit and pastries that a waitress had just set down in front of all three of them, obviously having ordered before Betty got there- Kevin had known Betty's brunch order by heart for years.

"Yeah, yeah," Kevin said with a wave of his hand. "Spill please."

Betty shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. She really hoped that what she did last night wasn't written all over her face, and that Jughead hadn't left any visible marks - she didn't think he had, but she'd been rather distracted by the sinful things that his mouth had been doing to her - distracted enough that neither of them had had the good sense to make sure that there was no visible evidence of their night together. "We're friends."

"Friends? Like… with benefits?"

"Like friends who fall asleep talking on the couch, friends. We talked, he doesn't feel the same way, but he says he isn't freaked out by what I told him. And then we fell asleep on his couch talking while we watched a movie. That kind of friends."

"Jones doesn't know what he's missing," Veronica said loyally. "Are you ok, B?"

"Yeah, fine. Am I a little hurt? Yes. But at least I know, now, and can get over it. And he doesn't hate me."

"Did he tell you why he's not interested?"

"For all of the reasons why I was scared to tell him - we're really good friends, we work together, his ex would make us miserable, he's not really ready to date."

"Boo Jughead!" Veronica jeered, gaining several curious sets of eyes. She took a sip of the mimosa she had insisted that they order, oblivious.

"It's ok, V," Betty replied gently. "I think now that I told him how I felt, I can actually, like, let go. I'm not in a limbo state anymore."

"Will you at least let me set you up with one of my hot single friends of the male persuasion and then dress you up and post hot photos on Instagram before your dates so that Jughead can see what he's missing."

"No Veronica. And now we are going to move on from this. Because there really isn't anything else to say about it."

"Can I at least tell you about my friend Elio? He just moved to Seattle and…"

"No V," Betty said forcefully. "Now, Kev, what's going on with you? Don't think that I don't notice that bruise on your neck."

Veronica gasped excitedly, eyes zooming in on Kevin, and Betty let out a sigh of relief that she had successfully changed the subject. 

"Well, Betty, after you went over to Jughead's last night, I went down to Puzzles to meet someone off of Tinder for a drink."

"And?" Veronica breathed.

"He was gorgeous as sin and we ended up hooking up in his apartment."

"And?"

"And… I'm meeting him for coffee after this because we both wanted to see each other again."

"Kev!" Betty cried. "What's his name?"

"Fangs Fogarty."

"Picture?" both the girls asked, holding out their hands for Kevin's phone. He pulled one up and handed it over, blushing as they 'oohed' over the neatly toned muscles and tattoos that littered Fang's profile picture.

"Well done Kevin," Veronica said, handing him his phone back. 

"Seattle boys are already 11/10 better than LA boys. And now Betty's told us about her love life, and I've told you about my love life… and that leaves us… with… you Veronica Lodge. What's going on between you and the ginger stallion that I  _ know  _ you've been riding?"

"Well, I will say that Archie Andrews is absolutely  _ amazing  _ in bed - I have never been so seriously pleased. Like literally guys, multiple times, every single time. I couldn't walk straight after the first time."

"Damn," Kevin whistled, giving Veronica a slow clap. "Good job Andrews."

"Are there feelings V?"

Veronica shrugged. "I like whatever this is. Do I like Archie, yes. But you know how Archie is - he flirts with half of the girls that he meets… I'm not sure if that's endgame material. It might be almost over, anyway. He's been hinting at the possibility of wanting to see other people." Veronica brushed the thought away as if it mattered little, but Betty could easily read the hurt in her eyes.

"Be careful, V," Betty warned. "I don't want Archie to hurt you."

"Don't worry Bettykins. Lodge's always come out on top. And yes, I meant that literally."

Kevin smirked and downed the rest of his mimosa. 

The rest of brunch was decidedly less interesting, but just as the group was getting ready to leave, Betty's phone buzzed loudly on the table. Pulling it into her lap and swiping the message open, she immediately felt her face turning a violent shade of red.

_ Jughead Jones: How much longer is this brunch?? I never did get to find out how you taste last night... _

Betty squirmed in her chair at the uncomfortable ache that suddenly bloomed between her thighs - they had done a lot last night, but  _ that _ was not included on the list, and now all she wanted was to be back in his arms and in his bed, preferably with his head between her thighs. 

"Everything ok B?," Veronica asked, glancing up at Betty from the bill, which she had insisted that she pay.

"Mmhmm!" Betty's voice was higher than normal, and Kevin looked suspicious. Betty prayed that Jughead hadn't just gotten them caught, but Kevin turned back towards Veronica and she gave a sigh of relief.

_ Betty Cooper: you're going to get us caught if you say shit like that over text! Kev isn't below stealing my phone if he thinks something is up! _

_ Jughead Jones: Sorry :( How's brunch? _

_ Betty Cooper: we're just leaving, and V is going out with Cheryl right after, and Kevin has a coffee date with someone so I'll come over and tell you _

_ Jughead Jones: :D _

Betty thought that she had gotten off scot free, but as she walked out the door by herself, Veronica and Kevin both supposedly long gone, she felt someone snag her hand. She looked up, surprised, only to see Kevin. 

"Kev," she breathed, holding a hand to her heart, which was beating twice as fast as normal. "You scared the shit out of me! Don't do that."

"Don't think that we aren't talking about that hickey on your neck, Betty Cooper." He gave her a serious look, and Betty blushed furiously. 

"Umm… well…"

"You didn't happen to get that from one, Jughead 'just friends' Jones, did you?"

"Maybe," Betty said, trying to figure out if there was any way she could get out of this conversation without telling him everything. 'Not likely,' she decided. "I might have... lied … about how the conversation we had last night went. Do you hate me?"

"Only if you don't tell me everything, like, immediately." Kevin looked at her eagerly and steered her over to a bench hidden at the corner of a building. 

"We sat down to watch  _ Casablanca  _ and I was chickening the fuck out, and I had just finally worked up the courage to tell him, when he leaned over and paused the movie and told me that he had feelings for me."

"I told you!" he hissed, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. "Then what?"

"He kissed me, and we talked some things out because I was freaking out about what this might mean, and then he kissed me again, and we ended up in bed together. Kev, he said that I'm all he can think about! But you can't tell anyone about this, and I mean  _ anyone _ . We've decided to keep it secret, just the two of us for a bit - we both think it would put a lot of pressure on our relationship right now if anyone else knew, because of the show and because… well you know how Veronica is."

"Isn't that romantic Betty Cooper! Are you happy?"

"So happy," Betty admitted with a soft smile.

"This is why you should always listen to your best friend," Kevin teased, throwing an arm around her. Then he leaned in conspiratorially. "Tell me… how is Jones in bed?"

"Kev!"

"What? I'm curious!"

"I was thoroughly satisfied. Happy?"

"Not enough details but it'll do for now. Are you sure we can't tell Veronica?"

"We are definitely not telling Veronica! She'll tell Archie, and he'll tell… well… everyone."

"Good point." 

Betty's phone buzzed. She looked down, smiling at the text from Jughead that was waiting for her.

_ Jughead Jones: I have coffee for you in my apartment whenever you get done. See you soon <3 _

"There's no way you're going to be able to keep this a secret," Kevin said with a laugh. "It's written all over your face! I need to go meet Fangs, so go tell Jughead 'hi' and maybe get another orgasm or two." 

"Kev!" Betty cried, gently smacking his arm. He laughed and stood up, giving her a hug.

"Love you Betty Bee."

"Love you too Kev."

As Kevin disappeared around the corner, Betty pulled out her phone, sending a quick message to Jughead.

_ Betty Cooper: Your place or mine? _

_ Jughead Jones: Mine - Archie is supposed to be gone all day. We'll have the place to ourselves. _

Betty stopped at her apartment to drop off her bag and to grab the book she had most lately been reading, knowing that an afternoon spent with Jug would inevitably result in both of them curling up together, books in hand. Seeing his flannel that she had shrugged off earlier, she pulled it on over her sundress and then headed across the hall, knocking and then walking in as had been their habit for the past couple of months.

"Hey," she said softly as a tussle headed Jughead sat up on the couch, a comfortable pair of pajama bottoms slung low across his hips. 

Betty looked quickly around, making sure Archie wasn't hiding somewhere and then Jug handed her her coffee, leaning in to kiss her softly as he did so.

A soft kiss turned into a deeper kiss, as he tilted his head to gain better access to her mouth, his tongue swiping across her lips, eager to taste her.

"Mmh, hi," she said softly, eyes still closed as they broke away.

"Hi," he returned. He took their coffees and led them over to the couch, flopping down and then pulling her down with him. His arms immediately wrapped around her and she wiggled happily. "Archie is out watching the game so we have the apartment to ourselves almost all day."

"Whatever shall we do?" Betty teased, burrowing her head into Jughead's shoulder as she sipped her drink. His t-shirt was soft against her cheek.

"We are going to sit out here and drink our coffee, and then we are going to go into my bedroom and you're going to let me kiss you senseless and then I get to taste something better than coffee." Jughead wiggled his eyebrows and Betty giggled at him. 

He leaned towards her for another kiss, but right before their lips touched, they heard the sound of keys scraping in the lock, and they jumped apart just in time for Archie to stomp in.

"Aren't you watching the game with Trev and Reggie?" Jughead asked, sounding thoroughly annoyed with his roommate's presence. 

"We are… but the bar is closed, so I was going to ask if it was alright for them to come here to watch it instead."

"Um… I guess…but Betty and I were going to... "

"Great!" Archie responded before Jughead could finish his sentence, which was going to include some excuse about why it would be better if Archie and company weren't there, pulling out his phone to presumably text the boys. Within seconds, Reggie and Trev burst through the door, and Jughead looked at Betty, pouting.

"C'mon," she whispered appeasingly. "My place should be empty for a few hours." 

It wasn't. 

"Damn it!" Betty groaned as she heard Veronica's surprised "Bettykins! Jughead!" when they walked through her apartment door.

"Oh, um, hey, V, Jughead just came over to grab… that book that he wanted to borrow that's in my bedroom," Betty covered quickly. She motioned Jughead towards her bedroom and shut the door firmly behind them.

"Fuck," he hissed, shooting a dirty look through the closed door towards where Veronica sat in the living room. 

"Shit - she texted me a few minutes ago and I missed it - Cheryl is coming over here instead of them going to grab coffee."

"Shit," Jughead echoed. "There goes our plans, I guess." 

Betty nodded glumly in agreement. "This sucks. I'm sorry, Jug."

"Not your fault," he shrugged. "Besides - it'll never be bad as long as I get to do this." And he leaned in and kissed her so deliciously soft that her heart skipped a beat. 

"Mmm," she sighed as he pulled away. "You're good at that."

"Not so bad yourself."

"Here." She handed him her battered copy of  _ Beloved _ that she'd been telling him to read for ages. "Let's go sit out on the balcony. We can't sneak kisses, but we can at least spend the afternoon together away from the testosterone infused man cave that is your apartment."

They spent a pleasant afternoon together, and yes, she was a bit upset that she didn't get to spend it in his arms like she had originally planned, but it was a nice reminder that, at the end of the day, he was, first and foremost, one of her best friends, and that wouldn't change.

***

But then it kept happening. In the weeks that they had secretly been together, Betty and Jughead had managed just two evenings completely alone where they also got to fall asleep in each other's arms. One night, Jughead had texted Betty and asked her to come over, and she had found a neatly set table lit by candlelight, plates of pasta at the ready. "I can't take you out on an actual date… but Archie and Veronica aren't home tonight so I thought I'd bring the date to you," he had told her tenderly, blushing at the look of desire she had given him. The pasta went cold by the time she was finished giving him a very thorough thank you in his bedroom.

Now, Jughead thought fondly of that night, cold pasta and all - he would take just about anything if it meant he got to have an actual evening alone with his girlfriend. Time and time again, their plans of sneaking over to one or the other's apartment, after Veronica and Archie were safely ensconced in a bedroom together, were dashed by Veronica determinedly locking arms with Betty after an evening movie night at the boys' apartment and walking home with her. 

"You don't think Kevin told her, did you?" Jughead asked in a hushed voice after it happened for the third time in a row. He was lying in his bed, without her once again, talking on the phone like they had done before, and he was eager to spend some time alone with his girlfriend since he was flying home to LA for the weekend to surprise JB for her birthday, and then he had a week's worth of night shoots while Betty was working during the day. "Not that I don't trust Kevin but…"

"No, Kevin definitely didn't tell her. If he did, she would be all up in our business. Trust me… when she finds out, we'll know."

"What do you think is up, then? This is the most nights she and Archie have slept separately since we moved in." Jughead was quite confused, and he honestly couldn't believe the timing of this.

"I honestly don't know," Betty replied. She sounded just as confused as he felt. "She's been in a bit of a mood the past few days, but I thought she was just a bit worn out from her scenes. You don't think something happened with Archie, did it?"

Jughead heard the door to the apartment slam loudly and heard footsteps stomping across the hardwood before flopping onto the couch. "Archie just came in and he sounds like he's in a fantastic mood… so I might as well go try to find out what the hell is going on. Because I think I got more alone time with you before you were my girlfriend, and I have a serious problem with that."

"I like it when you call me that," Betty said softly.

"I do too," he replied.

"Let me know what you find out. Good luck!"

"Sweet dreams, baby," Jughead replied, knowing that Betty had an early scene in the morning and wouldn't be up much longer. "See you tomorrow."

"If you're able to sneak over here later, I wouldn't be opposed. Just use the spare key," she added before they hung up. Jughead could only dream.

Jughead exited his bedroom cautiously, unsure if he was about to encounter ex-boxer Archie looking like he wanted to punch something, or mopey Archie. Luckily, he was greeted by 'flopped onto the couch, sighing heavily, moodily strumming his guitar' Archie.

"Hey Arch," Jughead said nonchalantly.

"Hey," Archie said sadly. He looked like a kicked puppy dog, and Jughead was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"How are you?"

"Fine." He was obviously not fine.

"What's going on between you and Veronica?" Jughead asked, never one to just beat around the bush.

"She's mad at me," Archie sulked.

"What did you do?"

Archie gave Jughead a dirty look, but Jughead didn't back down, and Archie eventually caved. "I might have… asked Josie out in front of her?"

"Dude, what the fuck?" Jughead yelled. He was honestly quite disappointed in his roommate. "Even I know not to ask out another girl in front of the girl that I'm currently seeing… or fucking… or whatever! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I wanted to make her jealous, I think," Archie admitted. "Ronnie is great, and yes, the sex is amazing, but it's so much more than that, but every time I try to subtly bring it up, she shoots it down, and I just… I guess I wanted to… I don't even know. God, what's the matter with me? Don't answer that question," he added as Jughead smirked next to him.

"How have you subtly tried to bring it up?"

"Hey, Ronnie, what are your thoughts on seeing other people?" Jughead winced, and realization dawned in Archie's eyes. "Oh… she thinks that I want to see other people. And then I asked Josie out… I'm such a jackass."

"You got it!" Jughead said with a sarcastic slow clap.

"Do you think she'll forgive me?" Just then someone knocked on their door. Jughead jumped up to answer it, coming face to face with a royally pissed-off Veronica Lodge. 

"It's for you," Jughead said dryly to Archie. "I'll just go over to your apartment, V, let you two… talk, have it out, whatever you need." He escaped before he could witness too much more, but as he closed the door behind him he could hear Veronica yelling, "I've had it up to here with you Archie Andrews! I've tried to keep my cool, and I've tried to ignore that little question that you asked Josie, but I'm done with it! We are going to have a conversation!"

"Ronnie, listen to me!"

'Glad I'm not Archie,' he thought fervently as he walked a few doors down to Betty's apartment and let himself in with the spare key that lived above the door frame. 'Although I think I can definitively say that I would never do something as stupid as what Archie did.' 

He paused momentarily, debating his next move - did he go to Betty's room and fall asleep with her in his arms like he'd been wanting all week and hope that Veronica and Archie made up and ended up fucking wildly all over his apartment? 'Yes, definitely that one,' he answered himself, locking the door behind them - at this point he would give literally anything for a night beside his girlfriend, including knowing that Archie and Veronica had sex on their couch. 

Then he slipped into Betty's room, joining her under the covers, pulling her tightly into the spoon of his body, a feeling of utter contentment filling him. 

"Jug?" Betty sounded half asleep and confused, but turned in his arms to lay her head on his chest.

"Go back to sleep, Betts."

"What are you doing here?"

"Archie and Ronnie are either making up or breaking up in my living room and I didn't want to wait around to see what happened either way."

"Hmm," Betty sighed, already halfway back to dreamland. Jughead pressed a soft kiss to her temple and followed closely behind her.

He couldn't remember the last time he had slept that soundly.

***

"G'morning," he whispered, voice still foggy with sleep, as he felt Betty stirring awake in his arms. It was early - too early in Jughead's opinion given that he didn't have to be on set until afternoon.

"When did you get here?" 

"Not long after you fell asleep. Veronica and Arch were having it out in my living room and I thought I would seize the opportunity to be with you while I could."

"Mmm I'm glad you did," Betty said, sitting up with a small stretch that pulled her tank top up over her stomach. Jughead ran his fingers along the exposed skin, and Betty shivered, leaning down to kiss her boyfriend. One kiss turned into two, and then three, and pretty soon Betty was straddling his lap with her shirt off. 

"Wait, wait, stop. Gah!" Betty pulled herself away from him, looking frustrated and cute at the same time. "As much as I want to stay in here with you… I have to be at work in a few hours, and I am in desperate need of coffee. And if she isn't already here, Veronica will be back soon because we're on the scene together and she'll need to get ready."

"One more," he begged, and she leaned in to acquiesce, and before he knew it she was pulling his shirt off.

"I thought you needed to get ready?" he asked with a smirk as her hands inched toward the waist of his pajama pants. She wiggled in his lap, teasing him, and he groaned, aching to be inside of her.

"We'll be quick," she decided. She pushed him backwards on the bed and pulled his bottoms off, before also removing her own, and then her mouth was on him, and he forgot how to think.

"Holy Fuck," he groaned as he felt her lips wrap around the head of his cock and her tongue give a punishingly slow, teasing lick. He knew this wouldn't last long, and he wanted to be inside her for this.

He pulled her up his body, locking his lips with hers once again as she sank down on him. They both groaned, half with pleasure, half with relief as he slid deeply into her body. He thought that the sight of Betty underneath him was the most amazing sight ever - but he soon realized that her on top of him was just as amazing. He gave an experimental thrust up into her, and she made a noise so sensual that he almost lost it right there.

"Oh my god, Jug, right there!" And then his hands were on her hips, in her hair, at her breasts, at the apex of her thighs, and he felt her tightening on him as he flipped them. He pushed deeply into her once, twice, three more times, and then he was coming, hard, spilling deeply into her as she clenched on him.

He collapsed onto her, and they held each other tightly for a moment. "Veronica and Archie better have gotten their shit together," he muttered darkly.

"Oh, fuck!" Betty cried out, jumping out of bed. "What time is it?" Her eyes grew wide at the time she saw on her phone. "Veronica could be here any minute, and I'll be running late if I wait any longer to get ready!"

"Go shower," Jughead said, pulling on his clothing before reaching over to kiss her temple and squeeze her hand. "I'll make us coffee."

"My hero," she joked, before walking into her closet.

Veronica waltzed into the kitchen not five minutes after he started the coffee pot, and Jughead thanked their lucky stars that he and Betty got out of bed when they did.

"Morning," he told her, looking carefully over her features, trying to determine what had went down between her and Archie.

"You're still here?"

"Um… yes? I slept on your couch." Luckily, there was a rumpled blanket piled on the couch that corroborated his story. 

She shrugged. "Just as well - you would not have liked what you saw in your living room if you came back last night."

"Didn't need to know that Ronnie," Jughead groaned. "But I'm glad you two worked it out."

***

"Thank fucking Christ," Betty moaned, when he told her later that day on set. They had only had time for a quick coffee pass off when Betty stepped out of the bathroom, under Veronica's watchful eye, so he wasn't able to give her the good news until later, as he was saying goodbye to her for the weekend, preparing to head down to California. 

"We just have to get through next week, and then what happened last night can hopefully become more of a regular occurence." He wasn't sure if he was trying to give her a prep talk, or himself.

"I like the sound of that." She smiled at him brightly, and then sobered for a moment. "I'll miss you. Promise you won't ignore me this time? Like, spend time with your sister… but also answer an occasional text message or phone call."

"I promise." He had absolutely no intention of ever being as much of a jackass to her as he had been the last time he was in LA.

"Good." They were alone in his trailer, and so Jughead pulled her into his arms for a moment, holding her tightly, and then gave her a long kiss.

"Text me when you land?" she asked, pulling away and handing him his bag.

"Ok." Then he kissed her one more time, shouldering his backpack, and walked out the trailer door. "I'll see you Monday."

"See you Monday, Jug. Have a safe flight."


	12. Firsts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which... Bughead is really bad at keeping their heart eyes and their hands to themselves.

Jughead wasn't sure how long he had expected that he and Betty would be able to keep their relationship a secret from their closest friends, but he had expected it to last longer than a month. Although, he had to admit that with the way that they looked at each other and the way that they reached for each other as soon as they were alone, it probably wasn't surprising that their secret was short lived.

***

True to his word, Jughead called Betty as he was walking out of the airport, looking for Sweet Pea, who was supposed to be picking him up.

"Hey Betts - I just landed."

"Good, I'm glad. How was your flight?"

"A little bumpy, but not ba -ah!" Strong arms wrapped around Jughead and lifted him up in the air.

"Jug?" Betty asked into the phone. She sounded torn between laughing and calling the police to report the abduction that was apparently happening to her boyfriend.

"It's Sweet Pea. When I asked him to pick me up at the airport, he apparently decided to take it literally." He glared at his friend who was laughing his ass off as he set Jughead down.

Betty laughed. "I'll let you go then - you sound busy. Have fun - tell your sister Happy Birthday for me!"

"I will Betts." His voice softened, hoping to keep out of earshot of Sweet Pea. "I'll call you tonight?"

"Can't wait."

"So you're calling Betty tonight?" Sweet Pea asked in a singsong voice, picking Jughead's bag up and sticking it in the trunk of his sports car before folding himself into the driver's seat.

"You weren't supposed to hear that," he replied, "but yes." He and Betty probably should have had this conversation regarding whether he could tell JB and Pea before he left - they had agreed not to tell anyone… but it was absolutely killing him not to be able to shout from the rooftops that Betty Cooper was with  _ him _ . 

"Did you talk to her like Toni and I told you to?" Apparently the look on Jughead's face said it all, no response needed. "Dude! Congrats! Nice!"

"Thanks." He smiled, just thinking about  _ them _ . 

"How long have you two been an item?" 

"A few weeks. We're trying to keep it quiet right now - you are literally the only other person who knows. You can tell JB, but that's it."

"Promise, bro. So, how's it been?"

"Absolutely amazing. Like nothing has changed and everything has changed at the same time. It feels completely natural - it's not weird at all. It's everything we were already doing, just with a bit more thrown in."

"That's when you know, man. Speaking of which…" He held the steering wheel with one hand and twisted to grab something out of his inside jacket pocket - a small box that he handed to Jughead. 

Jughead flipped it open - it was an engagement ring, a green emerald flanked by two smaller diamonds set into silver.

"Pea, it's gorgeous, but I couldn't betray my sister like that," Jughead said dryly, trying to hide the ache that had just welled up at the back of his throat.

"Har har jackass. But seriously - do you think she'll like it?" 

"She'll love it," Jughead assured him, handing the box back. "When are you going to do it?"

"Tonight when we take her to dinner - it'll be small, just the three of us. I know we haven't been together for a super long time...but it just feels right, you know? The last time we went out drinking, she got super hungover and she was miserable and puking all day and I just looked at her and knew… This is what I want for the next fifty years of my life, and I want it to be legally official and shit."

"Congrats, man. Although, I am now legally obligated to say that if you hurt my sister I will end you."

"Yeah, I know." Then he sighed nervously.

"Dude. She's going to say yes." 

"Yeah, yeah. Now tell me more about your Ms. Cooper - when do I get to meet her?"

"I don't know if there will ever be a day when I am ready for her to meet you. But you and JB are still coming to Seattle for Thanksgiving, right? I'm not sure what her plans are, but I'm sure she'll be there for at least a few days."

"Which embarrassing story should I tell her first?" Sweet Pea mused teasingly. "The one where you got drunk and threw up all over the seats of my new sports car? Or, there was the phase when you would wear a flannel and a beanie everyday like a prepubescent teenage boy?" Sweet Pea cast a side glance at Jughead and smirked. "Oh wait, that's still a thing. I know!" He snapped his fingers exuberantly. "The one where you accidentally bit Toni when you two had your first onscreen kiss!"

"And this is why I don't want you to meet her," Jughead groaned. 

***

"Hey, baby!" Sweetpea called out as he and Jug entered Jellybean and Sweet Pea's apartment. She wasn't in the room, and Sweet Pea motioned for Jughead to stay quiet.

"Hey, Sweets, did you ever find the…" Jellybean walked into the room and then gave a delighted cry when she saw her brother, running over to give him a massive hug.

"Happy Birthday JB!"

"Thanks bro! How long are you here?"

"Just for the weekend… but I didn't want to miss your day."

"Aww, my two boys are the sweetest! Also," she leaned in closer to Jug, "is that a hickey on your neck?!? Oh my God! Are you and Betty an item now?"

She smacked him over the head. "You asshole! Why didn't you tell me?"

"You just assume that this is from Betty? What if it's some random person that I met at a bar?"

"Is it?" JB asked dryly.

"No," Jughead muttered. 

"As I was saying, why didn't you tell us!?!"

"Because we decided to keep it just between the two of us for now. Why did you assume it was Betty!"

"Jug, she's universe girl and she is literally all you talk about. Trust me, if you have hickeys on your neck, there's only one person they could be from."

***

"And that was how JB put it together," Jughead told Betty over Facetime that night when he called to process through his evening. JB had said yes when Pea popped the question, as expected, and Jughead was thrilled for them, but it was a big change and he was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Yeah, well, that's how Kevin caught us, too. We need to be more careful not to leave marks."

"Well I can't help it if I find you irresistible, Betts." 

"Aww," Betty teased. "In all seriousness, though, how are you doing? Today was big."

"I'm ok… or I will be. I just can't believe that my baby sister is getting married. To one of my best friends. They're perfect for each other, and I'm so happy for her, but I think this officially means that I am no longer her number one person."

"Jug, you will always be her number one person. Maybe in different ways, but she loves you, and she knows that her brother is always there for her. That makes you her number one person. Always."

"Damn, Cooper," Jughead said gruffly, quickly swiping away the moisture that had accumulated in his eyes. "Are you sure you aren't the author in this relationship?"

"No, that's you. Speaking of which, I have some edits for your latest chapter for you."

"Alright, hit me with them," he groaned, knowing that, in typical Betty Cooper fashion, she was about to annihilate what he had written in the nicest way possible. 

"Ok, so in the first paragraph…"

***

Toni was the next person to find out. 

A month after JB and Sweet Pea got engaged, Betty casually began bringing up Jughead's upcoming birthday. He knew that she meant well - she wanted him to have a day where people celebrated his existence on earth - but he had hated his birthday for as long as he could remember, and he wasn't about to change that, not even for her. 

But, in typical Jughead fashion, he managed to royally fuck up informing her of this, and instead grew quiet whenever she brought it up, hoping that she would just forget about it. That was wishful thinking. A lack of commitment to plans on Jughead's part made Betty even more persistent, until he lost it, snapping at her as they walked to his trailer out of the frustration caused by his own inability to communicate.

"Dammit Betty, I don't want to do anything with my birthday, ok?!? Now will you please just let it go?"

Her eyes snapped in anger, but she was silent, a look of pure hurt crossing over her face, and Jughead immediately wished he could take his words back, ashamed at himself. She stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms over her body, staring at him as she tried to figure out how to respond to her boyfriend when he was being a Grade A asshole. He thought he saw her lower lip tremble.

He sighed and ran his hands frustratedly through his hair, beaniless after filming a scene. He looked down as he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself enough to fix this, because she didn't deserve to be treated like this, and when he looked up, he was dismayed to see her nails curled firmly into her palms.

"Betty…" he moved towards her, intent on moving her nails before she did any serious damage, but she stepped away from him.

"What, Jughead?" she snapped. 

"Fuck," he thought. He tried again. "Your hands, baby." He inched toward her again, and this time she let him grab her hands in his. He quickly pulled her nails from her palm, pressing his hands against hers to give her something to grab onto. "Can we talk, please?" he asked quietly, nodding at his trailer just a few yards away. He didn't wait for an answer as he pulled her towards the door.

"I'm sorry," he said as soon as he shut the door. "I shouldn't have yelled. I just really… fucking hate my birthday."

"Well then why didn't you fucking say anything Jughead?" If she wasn't crying before, she definitely was now, tears of hurt and frustration meandering down her face.

"Because I'm a best-selling author who is absolute shit at communicating sometimes." One of his hands kept a firm grip on her fingers, while the other one gently wiped the tears from her face. "You were trying to be nice. It  _ is _ nice. But when people do nice… I tend to melt down and lose it a bit. Because, in case you haven't noticed, I'm weird. I'm a weirdo. And whenever people have done the nice thing in the past, it was always because they wanted something. Every birthday I had between 7 and 13 was always more about other people than it was me, and it was the one day that my parents pretended that they weren't a trainwreck, and it just felt so fake. The parties that my management has thrown for me the past few years have had more strangers there than people I knew and I'm just… kind of done with it all. Except I didn't know how to tell you that, so I freaked the fuck out about it instead. And I am so, so sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," she said after a moment, taking a shaky breath. "I should have picked up that you weren't as enthusiastic about a birthday plan as I was. I just… you are one of the most amazing people I have ever met, and you deserve to have a day where the people around you get to celebrate how amazing you are and the fact that you are here on this earth, because the world would be a much worse place if you weren't in it."

"I appreciate the thought, Betty, I really do… I just… I'd much rather do something just the two of us. Curl up on the couch together and watch a movie. Maybe have cake."

"Jug, we do that almost every night minus the cake."

"And it's special every time."

She smiled at him, and he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was forgiven. 

"What about this?"

He stiffened a little bit, but looked at her expectantly, knowing that she deserved to be heard out. 

"What if we do something small? - you, me, V, Arch, Toni - Cheryl and Kev if you wanted them there. We stay in, I'll cook us all dinner, and we spend the evening watching whatever movie you wanted or playing Mario Kart or something like that."

He nodded slowly. "That sounds... pretty perfect, Betts. But can we not tell them it's my birthday?"

Betty gave him a 'yeah right' look. "Veronica was the one who told me your birthday was coming up - thank her gossip rag obsession. Do you really think she'll keep it quiet? You should be glad that I told her I would plan your birthday event, otherwise the party would look much closer to the parties that your management threw for you."

He gave her a pitiful look. "Sorry baby," she said, squeezing his hand. 

"You'll just have to make it up to me, I guess." He grinned at Betty playfully.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep."

"And what exactly would I have to do to make it up to you?"

"I'm sure you can be creative. But you know what I really want right now?"

"What?"

"I'd really like to kiss my girlfriend."

She happily acquiesced, leaning in to kiss him eagerly.

"Are we ok?" he asked when they parted for air a few minutes later.

"We're ok," Betty nodded. "But next time, can you just tell me before it becomes a big thing? I won't be mad, I promise."

"I promise." He turned her hands over in his and inspected them. Thankfully, she hadn't broken the skin, but they were red and irritated all the same. 

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, trying to pull her hands away, an embarrassed look on her face.

He refused to let go, and pressed gentle kisses to both of her palms. "No, I'm sorry. I never want to be a reason why you do this." Jughead looked down, ashamed of himself. 

"Jug, look at me."

He looked up at Betty, and was rewarded by a look of pure forgiveness… and something else. Unable to help himself, he pulled her down for another kiss. Which turned into several kisses. Which turned into his hands up her shirt and her lips on his neck. 

"Hey, Jug, have you seen...Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Toni burst into Jughead's trailer without knocking, and Betty and Jughead jumped apart. They normally locked the trailer door whenever they were in there alone, but apparently in his need to apologize for being a dick, he had neglected to turn the lock.

"Um, hey Toni," Jughead said awkwardly, blushing. He didn't know where to look. 

"Hah! I knew it!" Toni gloated, shit-eating grin on her face. "You two are totally banging."

"Mmhmm, we are. Now get out," Jughead deadpanned. There was no point in trying to deny it. Toni knew him too well.

"I'm totally winning the bet!" 

"What bet?"

"Cheryl and I have a bet about when you two were going to stop making sex eyes at each other and just get it over with. You two just won me two hundred bucks and whatever I want to do in bed."

"Toni, you can't tell anybody!" Jughead swore internally, noting the look of panic that crossed Betty's face. "Remember the idea you gave me about keeping this private until we figure out what this is? Well, we decided to go with that to try to keep the paparazzi out of our business. And we don't want anyone on the show to know either, for the time being."

"Well, that's not going to last long if you two can't remember to lock the door," Toni laughed. "But I won't say anything. I'll let you two get back to it… bye!"

They looked at each other and laughed, embarrassed. 

"Do you think we should tell people?" she asked slowly. "I mean… Kev knows, JB and Sweet Pea know, now Toni knows…"

"Do you want to tell people?" He was in two minds. While it would be nice to be able to wrap his arms around her and proudly declare to all of their friends how special she was to him, it would certainly be easier to keep their relationship out of the public eye if they kept it just to themselves for as long as possible. He doubted that Archie could keep a secret very well.

"I like how things are right now," she said finally after a long, thoughtful pause. "Please don't think I'm ashamed of you or ashamed of us…"

"Betty, I would never think that. Besides, I think I agree with you. I'd love to yell it from the rooftops, but I also like that we don't have everyone in our business. And I don't think Archie can keep a secret if he tried."

"So secret a little while longer?"

"As long as I get to do this as much as possible, it can stay a secret for as long as you want." And then he wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and pinned her against the trailer door, hoisting her into the air as her legs wrapped snugly around him.

"Mmm, yes please!" And then her lips were on his and the conversation, and the fight, were forgotten.

***

Cheryl was next. Jughead wasn't entirely surprised that she was the next to know, although he was surprised that she found out on her own and not from Toni. 

The premier episode of  _ Quarantine Tales  _ was scheduled to air the night before the birthday party Betty was throwing for him. The day after he and Betty fought about his birthday, Jughead received a message from Cheryl in the  _ Tales  _ group chat as he and Betty relaxed together in her trailer between takes:

_ Cheryl Bombshell: You are all cordially invited (aka required) to a viewing party at my apartment on October 1 to celebrate the release of our pilot! Be warned: I'm in the mood for some chaos. _

Jughead groaned as he read the message, internally berating Cheryl for messing up the plans he had for that night: him and Betty and his bedroom. Personally, he wanted to be as far away from Cheryl and her chaos as possible.

"What?" Betty looked up from her laptop where she was editing the latest chapter of his book. The page was full of edit marks and comments and he concealed a wince as he watched her tear his work limb from limb.

Jughead showed her the message. "There's no chance we can skip out, is there?" he asked her. "I had imagined a much lower key Friday night… you and me and maybe a bed. No, definitely a bed - used for non-sleeping activities. Or a couch. That would work too."

Betty gave him a look and he sighed. "I know, I know, it's a Cheryl invite so we just suck it up and go. I still get to pout about it."

"Poor Juggie," she giggled, reaching up to card her fingers through his hair, pulling his beanie off as she went. 

"That feels nice," he mumbled, laying down and laying his head in her lap.

"Don't get too comfy, we have to be back on set in five minutes."

"Cheryl is ruining everything," he moaned before pushing himself off of the couch and dragging her with him.

***

He couldn't help but repeat this thought to himself later as he sat between Archie and Betty at Cheryl's viewing party. He and Betty hadn't had a moment to themselves over the past week except for their nights when they would fall asleep tangled together in one of their beds, and he was rather resentful of having to spend yet again another night without being able to touch her.

Betty excused herself to grab a drink from the kitchen halfway through the episode, and Jughead couldn't help but follow her, desperate to have even just a few minutes of time away from the group, who were all rather drunk. Normally Jughead didn't have a problem with alcohol, despite his father's history - he never had more than a drink or two on a night out, but he didn't have an issue with other people choosing to partake. 

Last night, though, he had gotten a call from a rather serious JB who admitted to her brother that she had heard from their dad, and it sounded very much like he was drinking again. FP Jones had managed to stay sober for the past two years, but had recently lost his job at a construction site as jobs began wrapping up for the winter. Apparently, the spare time on his hands had been too much for him, sending him back to the loving arms of his lovely mistress, alcohol. 

Jughead was still on set when he got the call, finishing up a late night shoot, and by the time he got home it was so late that he just stayed in his own apartment for the night - there was no knowing which apartment Archie and Veronica were crashing in. All he had wanted, as a veil of sadness and disbelief fell over him, was to have Betty pull him into her arms and tell him everything would be ok. 

"Can we just go?" Jughead asked, looking at her almost desperately, grasping her hands in his and drawing them close to his chest.

"What? Jug, are you ok?" 

He was silent for a moment, a sure indicator that he wasn't, looking anywhere but in her eyes. Deep down, he knew that she would have nothing but sympathy and kindness for him - she was the least judgemental person he knew - but there was still a lingering bit of fear. If he told her, would she leave him, unwilling to deal with the baggage that came with his family, just like his mother had?

"What's wrong?" she asked gently, caressing his cheek with whisper soft fingers.

"I wish we could just go," he said again, tears beginning to prickle in his eyes. "Go somewhere, just the two of us. Choose who we tell about where we are and what we are to each other…no fame, no paparazzi, no parents who can't control themselves..."

"Baby, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

Jughead took a deep breath before speaking. "My dad fell off the wagon again."

"Oh, Jug," she said softly, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry."

"I really thought he was going to make it this time." The tears were coming closer now, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they were flowing freely down his face. 

"I know," she whispered. 

"Am I not enough, Betty?" he asked hoarsely. "That's got to be the reason for this, right? I'm not enough for him? Or the stress of what I do for a living?"

"Jughead, look at me. Look at me." Betty wiped away one of his tears with her thumb, eyes squarely locked on his. "You are enough. You have always been enough, and you will always be enough. Your dad is so lucky to have you as his son. And even though he is sick, he knows how amazing you are. This is not your fault. This is not your fault."

There was such earnestness in her eyes that Jughead couldn't stand it, and he pulled her back towards him, holding onto her like she was the only thing preventing him from drowning. Right now, she  _ was  _ the only thing keeping him from drowning.

"Oh - Betty, Jughead, I'm so sorry." It was Cheryl, apparently coming into the kitchen to grab something but stopping short of the door when she saw them. "Jughead, are you… ok?"

As if Betty read his mind, she looked at Cheryl and responded, "actually, Cheryl, I think we're going to head out. Jug got some bad news yesterday and he isn't up for being around everyone else right now and I don't want him to be by himself. Can you cover for us?"

"Yes. Of course. You two go. I'll tell everyone that you were both feeling a little sick from that takeout you both ordered at lunch today. I'll tell Archie and Veronica that you decided to stay with Jug and that they should stay at your place, Betty so that they don't get sick."

Both Jughead and Betty's mouths fell open. "What?" Cheryl asked. "You two are so obvious. Congratulations, by the way. You two are super cute together."

"Thanks, Cheryl," Jughead said softly. 

"You're welcome. Now get out of here."

***

Then Archie found out.

True to her word, Betty had hosted a low key gathering at her and Veronica's apartment for his birthday. Besides the cake she made, it was a pretty unremarkable night spent with his friends, which in and of itself made this birthday one of the best he'd ever had, despite the news he had recently received about his father.

He told her as much as they basked in the afterglow of the truly mind blowing orgasms they both had after everyone else had left her apartment.

"There might be one more thing," she told him shyly, slipping out of bed. She went over to her closet and came back a moment later with a small gift bag.

"Betty, you didn't have to get me anything…"

"Hush. It's your birthday and I wasn't allowed to do anything else to spoil you. I get to give you a present. I just hope you like it."

He set down the bag and pulled her into his lap, placing a kiss at her temple. "It's from you. I'm going to like it."

"Betts, I love it. Thank you!" he said a moment later as he pulled out a small, framed picture of the two of them. It was a selfie she had taken not long after they got together.

"I know that we haven't told people yet… but I'm starting to warm up to the idea of telling some of our other friends who haven't already found out… and I figured I would have this ready for you whenever we do tell them."

"Thank you," he whispered sincerely, giving her a kiss filled with heat and desire and longing. "And I would like to revisit the telling people conversation soon… but right now I have other things in mind." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Oh yeah?"

"Definitely."

***

Two weeks after the low key birthday party that Betty threw in her apartment, the cast of  _ Quarantine Tales  _ had an appearance at a convention in New York to help promote the show. Jughead was used to these appearances, but he was on edge all weekend - the press was sniffing around for any hint at a good story, and he was doing everything in his power not to clue them in on his and Betty's relationship. There was already a good deal of speculation about the nature of their relationship online as it was. From the first episode of the show, it was clear to the audience how much natural chemistry Jughead and Betty had together, leading to the development of a large number of 'Team Bughead stans' wishing to see their favorite couple together in real life. These rather obsessive fans had noticed how heavily prevalent Jughead was on Betty's Instagram account and had started some truly vicious internet rumors about the nature of their relationship. 

On top of this, Betty's mother had insisted on seeing her that weekend, and Betty, already anxious because of all of the press events they were attending, was a nervous wreck about attending her first major convention. They had spent most of the previous two evenings before they flew to New York curled together in his bed as he tried his best to fill her in on what she should expect in the hopes of making her feel better. She had finally put her finger to his lips and thanked him for trying to make her feel better, but admitted that it was only making the anxiety worse. 

He itched to reach out and hold her, to pull her nails from her hands and sooth kisses over the irritated palms. Now that Archie and Veronica were definitively together and oblivious to what went on at night outside of Archie's bedroom, Jughead and Betty had spent more nights together than apart, and this weekend was the first in quite a while that they would be separated - girls on one floor and the boys on another.

"Are you ok?" Jughead asked Betty before their third and final interview on the first day. She looked exhausted and done, body tense. She was all energy and excitement whenever the cameras were on, but there was an instant slump to her shoulders any time the focus was off of her. They had been sat next to each other on the couch for the group portion of the previous interview and he had spent most of it wracking his brains for ways that he could reach out and offer Betty some form of comfort that the cameras wouldn't catch onto. The three inches of space between then at all times made that impossible, though.

"So, Betty Cooper," the current interviewer said, turning his attention exclusively onto Betty. " _ Quarantine Tales  _ is your first big acting gig, right?"

"That's correct."

"What were you doing when you got the news you had gotten the part?"

"Well, I had moved to LA with a friend from home and was working at a coffee shop to pay the bills."

"You grew up in Riverdale, yes? Not too far from here." Betty nodded her confirmation. "I've heard tell that you and your friend Kevin, who now works lighting on the show, were responsible for apprehending a murderer in high school. Tell me about that." 

Jughead saw Betty's shoulders stiffen next to him, and she squirmed uncomfortably.

"Um… uh… I don't like to talk about it, if you don't mind."

"Come on, tell us about it! Don't be shy!"

Behind Betty, Archie cleared his throat nervously. "Look, man, she doesn't want to talk about it."

"She's just being shy!" the reporter insisted. "Tell me about it, Betty."

Jughead glanced down at Betty's hands and sighed a small breath of relief when he saw that they were tangled in the loose fabric of her skirt, but he knew they wouldn't stay that way forever.

"I…I… I really don't…" Betty stammered, and Jughead had had enough.

"She doesn't want to talk about it asshole," he snapped at the reporter. "Now let it go."

He made eye contact with Cheryl, a look that clearly said 'do something about this!' and she stepped in.

"Do you have any other questions before we have to leave? We have a busy day tomorrow so we have an early night tonight."

Thankfully, the reporter took the hint and asked a few more questions, and then they were free to go.

Archie, V, Cheryl and the rest of the cast headed back to the hotel right away.

"We'll be back in a minute," Jughead said to Cheryl as he waited for Betty to grab her bag from the dressing room. "You go on without us. We'll get back on her own." He had never been more glad that Cheryl knew about their relationship and could once again cover for them- he was concerned about Betty and her mental health, especially after that last interview and he knew that the last thing she needed was to be surrounded by their coworkers where she felt she had to pretend that she was ok. 

"Take care of her," Cheryl said, casting a look over her shoulder in the direction Betty had disappeared in. "Order a pizza and have an early night and put it on the tab for your room instead of coming out with the rest of us."

"Thanks Cheryl," Jughead said gratefully. She and the rest of the cast left, just as Betty emerged with her bag and coat in hand. She looked frazzled and stressed. "Hey," he said softly. She looked at him tiredly and tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "He was so out of line and I am so sorry that one of your first major experiences with a legitimate member of the press was something like this. Are you ok?"

There were still people milling around in the backstage studio where they had been interviewed, so he was careful not to do anything that would instantly read 'more than friends,' to whoever might be watching.

Betty gave a short nod but didn't say anything, almost like she didn't trust herself to speak.

"Hey - come here." He glanced around and, seeing an empty closet, pulled her inside and locked the door.

Her arms were wrapped around him in an instant, face buried into his chest, breathing him in deeply. They stood there for a time, Jughead occasionally pressing gentle kisses to her temple as he swayed them gently side to side, a slow dance to music only they could hear.

"How many more days of this?" Betty asked weakly a few minutes later. 

"Two more days, baby." He frowned, concerned at the effect that all of the publicity might have on her mental health. "Do you need to stop? I'm sure that if you talked to Che…"

"No!" Betty cut him off quickly. "No - I'm ok… I just had that lunch with my mother and then the paparazzi stalked me the whole way back to the hotel and they were asking super personal questions about my mom and my brother… and about you…" She said the last part so quietly he almost missed it.

"Do you think they know anything?" 

She shrugged. "I don't think so… but I've been trying super hard to make sure we don't do anything that reads relationship."

"I have too." He frowned. "Did lunch with your mom go okay?"

She shook her head. "Not even a little. 20 questions about how often I eat carbs and go for runs and 'we need to discuss your plans for the holidays Elizabeth because your brother will be disappointed if you aren't home again…' So now I'm stressed out about the holidays on top of anything else. And I didn't sleep hardly at all last night because apparently I've become a codependent girlfriend who can't sleep without her boyfriend next to her."

Jughead studied her face. She did look exhausted - movie set makeup did almost nothing to disguise the dark circles under her eyes, and the normal sparkle in her eyes had dulled to almost nonexistent. He himself was feeling just exhausted as Betty - he gave up trying to sleep without her at 2 in the morning and resigned himself to writing until he finally drifted off to sleep only an hour before his alarm was set to go off.

"Well… how about instead of getting dinner with everyone else, we order takeout and curl up on the couch in Archie and I's room? Maybe you can get a little bit of sleep before Archie comes back for the night?"

Betty looked at him gratefully. "Really?" 

"Yeah. I'll tell everyone that lunch with your mother took it out of you and that you didn't feel up for going out and I didn't want you to be lonely. Technically we aren't even lying." He neglected to tell her that skipping dinner out was actually Cheryl's idea - he would tell her later, he decided - knowing that the fact that their show-runner suggested she need a break would just stress her out more.

He looked at her cheekily, and she let out a small laugh.

"That sounds perfect, Jug. Thank you. Seriously."

"I may have ulterior motives… apparently I can't sleep without you either and I'm not sure how the circles under your eyes are darker than mine." He gave her one last peck. "C'mon." 

He unlocked the door and peeked his head out, beckoning her to follow when the coast was clear. They walked the short distance back to their hotel together. Normally, Betty was excited as she explored new and unfamiliar places, eyes lighting up as she pointed out everything she saw, like she was playing her own personal version of an 'I spy' game. Today though, she was silent, eyes firmly fastened on the sidewalk in front of her. When a photographer began intruding into her space, the only indication she gave that she even noticed him was that she moved a fraction of an inch closer to Jughead.

"I'm going to go shower really quickly," she said as soon as she stepped into Jughead's room.

"I'll get the pizza ordered." 

"There's plenty of room, Jug," she said slyly, beckoning him towards her with her finger.

He had honestly figured that sex was off the table tonight given how exhausted she was, but he had never been more glad to be wrong as he fell to his knees in front of her in the shower, one of her thighs draped over his shoulder, bringing her to release with his fingers and then his mouth before allowing himself to bury himself in her tight warmth. Afterwards, both pleasurably sated, he grabbed her travel sized body wash and poured a generous amount into his hands, gently massaging away the tense knots in her shoulders.

She looked up at him like he was the person who hung the moon, and Jughead found himself once again thinking the words that had been playing on repeat in his brain since their first night together: 'I love you, Betty Cooper.' He repeatedly told himself that it was too soon, but later that evening, as she curled against his chest, an episode of  _ How I Met Your Mother  _ on in the background, his eyes met hers, and he knew it couldn't wait any longer.

"I love you, Betty Cooper," he told her softly, gently, stroking his palms against her back like he couldn't get enough of her.

She looked at him in shock, and sat up, face serious, and he started to open his mouth to take it back, afraid that he'd done something to upset her. But then she leaned closer, a blinding smile stretched across her beautiful face and said the words he'd been dreaming of hearing for months: "Jughead Jones, I love you."

Betty leaned in and kissed him, a kiss full of promise and love and heat and  _ God, he couldn't get enough of her. _ The kiss was interrupted by a deep yawn, though, and Jughead pulled away with a laugh.

"Lay down," he coaxed, gently shifting Betty into a horizontal position, sprawling over his body. She was fast asleep not five minutes later, breath warm against his neck, looking more relaxed than he'd seen her since they left Seattle.

He must have dozed off himself, because the next thing he knew, the door was clicking open and Archie was walking in. Jughead resigned himself to making some excuse to Archie before waking Betty up.

Except Archie didn't seem too surprised by the position he found them in. Rather, he nodded his head and said "Good. She looked exhausted and anxious all day. She always seems more rested on the days that you sleep over together. I'll tell Ronnie that she fell asleep on our couch and then go up to Ronnie's room tonight... What?"

Jughead was looking at Archie incredulously.

"Dude, I've literally known the entire time. I didn't sleep at Ronnie's the night you two got together, and when I left Ronnie's apartment, she told me to be quiet because you were asleep on my couch. But she wasn't on the couch and I heard moaning coming from your bedroom. I put two and two together. Besides… you two aren't as good at hiding it as you think you are."

He pulled a few items out of his suitcase and put them in his backpack, saying "Night dude," before walking out the door. Jughead stared after him in shock.

"Archie Andrews can keep a secret… who knew?" he mused. Since the night of his birthday, he and Betty had been toying with telling the remainder of their friends that they were together, given that Kevin and JB and Toni and Cheryl all knew, but kept dismissing it, afraid that once they told Archie, it was only a matter of time before the whole world knew. Apparently they were wrong.

Betty stirred next to him, eyes opening blearily as she looked around, confused about where she was.

"Jug?" she asked drowsily, still half asleep. "What time is it?"

"A little after midnight."

"I should probably head back." She looked upset at the thought.

"Actually, Archie was just here. He's staying with V tonight. He um… apparently he's known about us the entire time, so he said he'd cover for us tonight."

Betty looked surprised.

"Yep. My thoughts exactly. C'mon, let's go to bed."

Soon she was snuggled in beside him, head resting on his chest, a feeling that Jughead had quickly discovered to be the source of ultimate contentment for him. "I love you," he whispered into her hair, relishing the words that he finally got to say to her.

"I love you too," she responded with a light kiss, and within minutes, they were both fast asleep.

***

Veronica, surprisingly, was the last in their close group of friends to find out. They managed to keep up their charade until just before they left to go home for Thanksgiving. 

***

Betty took a shaky breath as she took her mark, huddled in a dark closet with one of the walls removed for camera access. This was her last scene of the day, and she could feel a migraine beginning to grow in her temple, a reaction to the stress of today combined with exhaustion and over-stimulation from the bright filming lights. She needed to take her medication and then go home and rest, but she thought she could hold out until after this scene was done. It did mean that she would most likely miss the group outing to Puzzles that had been planned for that evening, though, meaning that once again she would miss seeing Jughead. They'd been working opposite schedules all week and hadn't had time to do much more than quick phone calls and texts, much less fall asleep wrapped in each other's arms- part of the reason that she was exhausted.

"Ready, Betty?" Cheryl asked, bustling over.

"Mmhmm," Betty nodded tiredly. She picked up her "Emma phone," and held it to her ear, ready to begin the scene, eager for it to be over.

"Action," Cheryl called. 

_ "J? Baby? Are you ok?" Emma whispered shakily into the phone, pressing as far into the storage closet as she could. _

_ "Yeah, I'm ok, Em, are you ok? Where are you?"  _ A pre-recording of Jughead's voice played on the stage, allowing him to play her phone partner without physically being on set.

_ "I'm in a storage closet on the first floor. I ducked in here as soon as the red alert went out."  _ Emma and Jackson had gone to the hospital to take part in a Coronavirus vaccine trial when a man filled with murderous rage, distraught over the death of his wife, the Black Hood, had entered the building. Two people had been found dead in the hallways from stab wounds before someone had alerted the building and put it in lockdown. Jackson and Emma, in separate vaccination rooms at the time, had been separated. 

_ "Stay there and don't move," he whispered. "I'll come find you. Is the door locked?" On the other side of the door, a mysterious masked man listened, ear pressed against the door. He shifted his body. The floor beneath him creaked, and Emma froze. _

_ "Yes, but… J I think I just heard something." She huddled in on herself, breaths escaping from her mouth faster and faster as she tried to prevent noisy sobs from revealing her hiding place. Her eyes closed in fear, and she was scared to open them again, afraid at what she might see standing in front of her if she did. _

_ "Just listen to me," Jackson whispered, his voice calm and soothing despite the fear she knew he was also feeling. "Just breath baby, ok. Listen to my breathing. In, two, three, out, two, three, four. Do it again. In, two, three, out, two, three, four." _

Betty's heart was pounding with fear and anxiety, having successfully channeled Emma's feelings. It was making the headache even worse.

_ Outside the door, the man jiggled the door knob. "J," Emma whispered as her heart rate skyrocketed, undoing all of the progress Jackson had made in calming her. "He's trying to get in!" _

_ "Shit," he swore. She heard muffled clanging in the background. "I'm coming to get you, Em." _

_ "No, Jackson!" she hissed as the man tried the door knob again, this time leaning his weight more against the door. "No, it's too dangerous!" _

_ "I love you," he told her seriously, like a soldier preparing to head off for battle.  _

_ "Jackson!" And then the line went dead. Her hands shook, and she dropped her phone to the floor with a loud clatter. Frantically, she looked around the closet, trying to find something, anything, that could possibly be used to defend herself. _

_ Outside, the man had stopped fiddling with the doorknob and had started using his body to try to force the door open.  _

_ Emma spotted a large wrench lying on a shelf, and she picked it up, hefting it in front of her body just as the man succeeded in forcing the door to swing open. _

"And, cut!" Cheryl called. "That's a wrap."

"Thank Christ," Betty muttered, putting the wrench down and passing a hand over her eyes, head swimming and foggy as the drumbeat steadily pounded on, getting worse with every passing minute. She knew she needed to go home, but wasn't quite sure how to manage it and was seriously contemplating just passing out in her trailer on set for the night.

"Betty! Wait!" It was Kevin. He jogged up to her from his post next to the lighting board. "Are you ok? You look like you're about to throw up."

"Migraine," she winced, trying to shield her eyes against the lights. "I need to go home."

She started to push past him, but Kevin firmly stopped her. "Here," he said, handing her his sunglasses and sweatshirt, and she took them gratefully, the world dimming as she pulled on the glasses and burrowed into the hoodie. "I was going to ask if you were going to the gathering at Puzzles tonight, but I'm guessing that's a no?"

Betty nodded.

"Do you want me to bail and stay with you?"

"No - you go have fun. I don't want to be a burden."

"Will you at least let me call Jughead so you aren't sitting at home alone?" He knew better than to argue with her when she wasn't feeling well.

Betty had a significantly harder time blocking out the Alice Cooper engrained thoughts when she had a migraine, and she could hear her mother's voice, plain as day, telling her not to be a burden to others.

"No, I'll be ok. I don't want to be a burden to him. He deserves to have fun, not sit at home on a Friday night playing nurse to his girlfriend."

"Honey, you know that he would do it in a heartbeat. He loves you, remember?"

"Kev, can I just go home now?"

"I'll drive you," he answered immediately. "And don't even think about pulling the 'just leave me alone to suffer' thing Betty. There's no way I'm letting you try to get home by yourself."

Betty knew there was no point in arguing, and followed Kevin to his rental car, immediately pulling the sweatshirt up over her face and closing her eyes as soon as she sat down.

"Scale of one to ten how bad is this one?"

"Like an 8 or a 9… I haven't had one this bad since I was still living in New York. It's been building for a while… I haven't been sleeping great, and I've been anxious and I was crying in the scene today, and then the lights were so bright…"

"You still have the medication, right?" Betty could hear the concern in Kevin's voice.

"Yeah, it's just at my apartment. I was stupid and left it sitting on my bedside table after the last little one I had."

"Will you please let me stay with you?"

"No, Kev," she replied firmly. 

"Will you at least call me or Jughead if you need anything? Please?"

"If you really want me to, yes, I promise."

"Ok. Good. Do you want me to walk you up?"

They had pulled up at their apartment building, but she knew that Kevin was going to see Fangs for a few hours before he went to Puzzles.

"No, I'm ok. See you later, Kev. Love you."

"Love you too, Betty Bee." She could see him wait until she disappeared into the elevator before driving off.

A few seconds later, she opened the door to her blissfully empty and silent apartment and eased the sneakers off of her feet, sinking down onto the couch when a text came through from Jughead. It was a cute cat meme that looked very similar to her childhood pet Caramel. She smiled weakly as she read it. 

_ Jughead Jones: Thought you might like this:) hope your scene went ok. Love you _

_ Betty Cooper: it was a rough one today :( _

_ Jughead Jones: which scene was it again? _

_ Betty Cooper: One of the Black Hood hospital ones again. _

_ Jughead Jones: Oh yeah… Sorry :( anything I can do? _

_ Betty Cooper: no I don't think so… I'm really tired though... I think I'll miss going out with the group tonight though so have fun without me. _

_ Jughead Jones: want me to stay in with you? _

She paused for a moment. Normally, when she had a migraine, she wanted to be left alone. But today, all she wanted was for him to be with her. Alice Cooper's 'don't be a burden' training came shining through, though, as she typed her reply.

_ Betty Cooper: no - you go have fun. I'll see you tomorrow. _

A moment later, she sent him another text.

_ Betty Cooper: I miss you. _

Betty clicked off her phone, the bright light making her head pound even more and curled into a ball, rubbing her head softly with her eyes closed. She knew she should get up to take her medicine, but every time she tried to move her stomach would revolt against her, accompanied by a new burst of white hot pain behind her eyes. 

Jughead hadn't texted back, so she assumed that he had left for the bar with the rest of the cast. Almost instantly, she had regretted telling him to go out, knowing that Kevin was right -Jughead would gladly cancel his plans to come spend the evening alone with her.

'Don't be stupid Elizabeth' she thought bitterly. 'Why would he want to be here with you when he could be out having fun?' A tear trickled down her cheek and she curled tighter into herself, feeling lonely and in pain. She wasn't sure how long she sat like that, but she was startled when she heard the sound of a key in the door.

"V?" She asked quietly from her ball "I thought you were going out for the night."

"It's me," she heard Jughead say behind her. 

Betty looked up from her ball, surprised, and then winced with the sudden movement.

"Kevin called me, right after you texted, and said that you had a massive migraine and said he knew you wouldn't tell me about it or ask me to come over, but he said that he had a feeling you wanted me over here. So I told everyone that JB and Sweet Pea desperately needed to talk to me about wedding stuff that couldn't wait and then used the spare key above your door to sneak over here - I didn't want you to be alone tonight if you didn't want to be and I missed you too. You ok?"

Jughead moved towards Betty, taking in her pale, pained face and her tear stained cheeks. Cupping her cheeks with his hands, he gently brushed her tears away with his thumb.

"I'm so glad you're here." Another round of tears trickled down Betty's face. Inching closer to her, Jughead sat and maneuvered Betty so that her head was resting on his lap.

He noticed that her hair was still tied up into Emma’s signature messy bun, and he began slowly working the hair ties out of her hair. Betty sighed gratefully as the tight mass of hair began to loosen and she slowly relaxed against him as his fingers combed through her hair. 

“Do you have medication?” Jughead asked softly, mindful of making too much noise that might make the migraine worse. 

“On my bedside table,” she replied, rubbing her temples, trying to find some relief. 

"I'll go get it." Sliding her head off of his lap and onto a throw pillow, Jughead leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Betty's head. 

He came back a moment later, a pill and a bottle of water in his hand. "Here you go, baby," he murmured, helping her into a sitting position. 

She smiled slightly, before remembering that he was supposed to be going out with everyone else tonight. “Jug, you don’t have to stay. I know that I’m not much fun now - you should head to the bar like you had originally planned. I'm such a burden right now.”

“Betty Cooper,” Jughead said with mock sternness. “I love you and you are absolutely not a burden. I am not leaving you right now while you are miserable and in pain. Besides, I have honestly been wanting to see you all week, so I am perfectly happy to spend the evening taking care of you and cuddling on your couch."

“You’re sure?” she looked at him doubtfully.

“Positive,” he said. “No place I’d rather be.”

Smiling at her, he laid down next to her on the couch and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "This ok?" He asked softly.

"Mmhmm," Betty nodded as she burrowed deeply into his arms. "Thank you for being here Jug."

"You're welcome, Betty Cooper. Do you want to watch something, or is that too much right now?"

"I think I can as long as it's not too loud. You pick something though, my brain can't handle decisions right now."

Jughead thought for a moment before grabbing her remote and navigating to Netflix.

“What are we watching?” Betty asked. 

“It’s a surprise,” Jughead replied mysteriously. Betty shrugged and closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the comfort that she took with being here with him. She felt at peace for the first time in days, relishing the feeling that only his arms would bring to her. 

"I love this man" she thought sleepily as the pounding in her head eased slightly. The familiar theme song for  _ Campfire Days  _ suddenly began on the TV. She opened her eyes, wincing at the sudden brightness, and looked at Jughead with a curious look on her face.

“You mentioned once that you and Kevin used to watch this whenever one of you had had a bad day. I thought that this might make you feel better.”

Betty’s heart stuttered. "I can't believe you remembered that, Jug."

"Only for you Betty Cooper," he replied.

Her headache eventually abated, leaving her achy and stiff and foggy, and they spent the rest of the night curled together on the couch exchanging gentle touches and kisses with no desire to do anything except lay there together. When Veronica staggered in, just after one in the morning, she found them both asleep, arms wrapped tightly around each other, slight smiles on their faces, the 'are you still watching?' screen sitting silently on the tv. Smirking quietly, Veronica turned off the tv and draped a blanket over the pair before making her way to her own bedroom.

"Just friends, my ass," she whispered gleefully, and she prepared for bed, also planning the interrogation she would be giving her friend tomorrow.

***

Betty woke later than normal the next morning with the feeling that she was being watched. She could feel Jughead's arms still wrapped firmly around her and she could tell he was still asleep by the slow rhythm of his breath into her hair, so she knew he wasn't the one watching her like he was sometimes want to do.

She jumped in surprise as she opened her eyes and saw Veronica staring at her and Jughead, smirk on her face.

"Good morning," she sing-songed at Betty. "Anything you'd care to share, Bettykins?"

"Morning, V," she mumbled. "Jug, wake up." She shook him beneath her, in no mood or position to be fully capable of having this conversation on her own, with her leftover migraine brain fog preventing her from fully forming thoughts.

"Betts, it's so early. Go back to sleep, baby," he grumbled, dramatically flinging a hand around her waist and attempting to pull her back down to rest on his chest.

"No, Jug, get up, we have to…"

"Ahem," Veronica interrupted.

"Oh shit!" Jughead's eyes flew open.

"I take it, she knows?" he asked Betty as he sat up, smoothing a hand through his hair.

"Oh, she knows," Veronica replied. "Although I would like to know how long this has been going on."

"Since the day we had brunch with Kevin, the day I told you we'd talked and decided we were just friends."

"Betty Cooper! You've been keeping this a secret for months?"

"Yes?" Betty answered. "We wanted to make sure it was going to work first without a bunch of external expectations on us."

"And you didn't tell me??"

"We didn't tell anyone, V, people have just figured it out gradually. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner to be honest."

"I guess I have been a bit… preoccupied… with Archie. I still can't believe you didn't tell me, though, one of your best friends  _ and  _ your roommate! But for the record, B, I'm happy for both of you. I've been saying it from the beginning, you're perfect for each other. And Jughead,"

"Yes?"

"If you hurt my bestie, I will castrate you, is that clear?"

"Crystal," Jughead replied, tightening his hold on Betty.

"Good. Now who wants coffee?" Veronica got up and bustled around the kitchen, starting the fancy espresso maker that she had bought to replace the regular drip coffee maker that came with the kitchen that she had declared 'common'.

"That went better than anticipated," Jughead said, giving Betty a quick kiss good morning. 

"B, what are you two doing tonight? We should totally double date!" 

"I take it back," he said as she dissolved into laughter. 

"Yeah, but now I can do this whenever I want," she said. She leaned up and gave him a firm kiss.

"Mmm that is a plus," he responded. And then he kissed her again.

***

_ Fairbough2022: Emma and Jackson are endgame! Betty and Jughead have such amazing chemistry! _

_ Bugheadlover: @Fairbough2020 do you think they're together? I mean… their most recent interview he was so protective. Swoon! _

_ Fairbough2022: @Bugheadlover why does it matter? They're their own people they can make their own decisions… although it would be very cute! _

_ 100JacksonF: My friend works in New York and she said she saw them getting very cozy backstage after an interview. Apparently he pulled her into a dressing room and their hair was all messed up and then they left together _

_ Sabrinaspellman202: He doesnt deserve to be happy after what he did to Sabrina _

_ Bugheadlover: @Sabrinaspellan202 read a magazine dumbass everything was disproven. She was awful to him. He deserves better… like Betty Cooper. _

_ The Daily Mail: "Rising Star Betty Cooper spotted getting up close and personal with Quarantine Tales Co-star Jughead Jones. Is romance brewing?" _

_ People Magazine: "Three Body Language Experts Tell us if Betty and Jughead are an Item: 'It Looks Promising'." _

_ US Weekly: "Who is Betty Cooper? Meet the Young Star Most Recently Connected to Co Star Jughead Jones" _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now everyone knows... or almost everyone! I hope you liked this chapter, I'm actually really proud of this one. It's been in the works for a long time! Keep leaving kudos and comments! They seriously make my day :) Like, whenever I get an email from a student demanding to know why they have a low grade (because you don't do your homework, for one) or an email from admin adding one more thing to my already overly full plate, I take a look at the comments I've gotten as a pick me up. They mean a lot :)


	13. Turkeys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty goes home for Thanksgiving and Alice... well, Alice is Alice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, I have no idea how I made a Thanksgiving chapter line up with Thanksgiving, this is 100% a coincidence and I'm very impressed with myself! Enjoy!

"Look at this!" Betty exclaimed one day in late November, shoving her phone towards Jughead, Archie and Veronica who were all clumped together at a table at craft services. They were in the final stages of filming their last scenes before they broke to travel for the Thanksgiving holidays.

"How much more ridiculous could they get??" Veronica asked incredulously. "Is Jughead Jones going home with Betty Cooper for the holidays? Signs from her latest Instagram story point to 'yes'! Congratulations, tabloids, you are officially nuts."

"No, trust me. They can get weirder," Jughead deadpanned. "Although this is pretty out there."

The Instagram story in question was taken by Betty two days before. She and Jug were curled up in her apartment with Archie and Veronica, enjoying their new found freedom to cuddle together during movie days, now that their friends were aware of the romantic nature of their relationship. They had all been watching a Thanksgiving episode of  _ How I Met Your Mother _ . While Betty's Instagram story had included all four of them in the video, apparently the tabloids had decided that only Jughead actually meant anything, regardless of the fact that Jughead and Betty were on opposite sides of the room when the video in question was actually taken. 

"I mean, really? You and Arch were there too, V! Do you mean nothing? And what does  _ How I Met Your Mother _ have anything to do with me taking Jughead home for Thanksgiving?"

"Betts, just ignore it," Jughead said, trying to calm her down before she began a full-on rant, as she had many other times in the past few months since the tabloids became increasingly aware of her existence. "They're just trying to sell stories. Besides, there was the story the other day from the same publication that decided that we were mortal enemies who couldn't stand to be in the same room with each other. They just make up whatever they need to, to make money."

"You two already have such a wide couples fan base - you're Bughead now, by the way, in case you were wondering," Veronica soothed. " - stuff like this was bound to happen. I mean, look at what happened when they figured out that Varchie was a thing! People are rabid in their assumptions. I've been pregnant twice, married once, and cheated on several times. Just take it in stride and laugh it off."

"You should be flattered, Betty," Archie added. "You and Jug have great chemistry together. People can see that. I mean, like even I saw that right from the beginning."

"Yeah, easy for you to say," Betty huffed, digging her nails slightly into her palms before she could stop herself. She pressed her fingers against the sleeves of the thick, oversized blue cardigan she, as Emma, was wearing. "You aren't having to watch everything that you post online, and anything that anyone else posts online to make sure you aren't revealing too much information about your relationship."

"Hey. Hey!" Jughead said, lightly catching her hands. He held onto them tightly and interlaced their fingers together. "What's actually wrong, Betts? I know that you aren't upset about keeping our relationship out of the press, because that was something you suggested."

"Nothing." Jughead just gave her a look and she sighed. "Fine. My mother called. Again."

"What did Alice do this time?"

"She's just being her usual controlling self. 'Make sure you bring the pink sweater and not the green one Elizabeth - the green one makes you look fat.' And 'make sure you put on makeup before you get on the plane, the last thing this family needs is paparazzi photos of your latest breakout. It might hurt your chances with the nice young doctor who is coming over for Thanksgiving dinner.' Because without asking me, she's decided that I've been single for too long and my 'biological clock' is ticking and so she's set me up with one of her neighbors! Who, by the way, I've met several times and know that he is 110% an asshat!" Jughead looked alarmed at the mention of Alice's plan to set her daughter up.

"Oh crap girl," Veronica said sympathetically, giving Betty a small rub on her shoulder. 

Archie smirked as he watched Jughead's reaction. "I take it Alice Cooper doesn't know about Jughead?"

"No. She has apparently decided, without knowing Jughead, literally at all, that Jughead is a 'hoodlum' who has no business corrupting her innocent daughter. I mentioned that we were friends a few months ago and she almost had a coronary."

"Trust me," Kevin added as he sat down with the group, "you're better off with her not knowing for as long as possible. Mama Cooper is a dragon who fiercely guards her treasured daughters."

"Hmm?" Jughead asked, confused. 

"Do you know why I never really dated in high school, Jug?"

"The boys in Riverdale were insane?"

"It was because of my mother!" 

"True," Kevin confirmed with an emphatic nod. "Betty went on three dates with a guy from our school, and after the third one he told her he wasn't interested in seeing her anymore because he couldn't handle the Alice Cooper interrogation and stare every time he went to the Cooper house. Based on the way he told it, I wouldn't be surprised if she breathed literal fire as she chased him out of her house."

"Ouch," Jughead, Archie and Veronica winced together.

"Your mother is the actual worst," Veronica said, shaking her head. 

"Yep," Betty agreed. "You have no idea how much I don't want to go home. But this was non-optional. Like, she literally bought my plane ticket. Using my own money, might I add. She literally hacked my bank account. Plus Chic is being creepy as normal."

"Baby, you know, you  _ can _ stay here, especially if you aren't comfortable." Jughead looked her in the eyes seriously, but she just shook her head.

"Trust me, it's better to just get it over with. I wouldn't put it past her to fly over here uninvited because she's convinced that I've been kidnapped. Then I'd spend Thanksgiving bailing you out of jail, in addition to crying over the mashed potatoes. Besides, it's only four days. I'll be fine."

"And I'll be there, too," Kevin added. "My dad and I have even been invited to the Coopers for Thanksgiving dinner, so I'll be at Casa de Cooper for a decent part of the weekend, and Alice Cooper stopped scaring me a long time ago. Mostly."

"Will you at least promise me that if things get too bad that you'll fly home early?" Betty couldn't help but grinned at the way that Jughead called Seattle 'home' - he wasn't wrong by any means, she felt closer to most of her Seattle friends than she did her own family at this point, and Seattle was where Jughead was… and Jughead was the person she was quickly beginning to associate with 'home' the most. 

Betty nodded. "Yes, I promise. If you promise not to worry too much?"

He didn't get a chance to answer though, as Cheryl bustled over. "Look alive, party people, this scene isn't going to film itself!"

Everyone hustled to their marks - Betty and Veronica to a couch in the middle of the set, and the boys to the outside of the 'front' door. They were filming the final scene of the Christmas episode. In the previous episode, Emma had been trapped in a storage closet by the Black Hood, and right as he was about to move towards her, Jackson swooped in and saved the day, taking the Black Hood down. Unfortunately the Black Hood had also taken Jackson down, resulting in a two week long hospital stay. Because of Covid rules that limited visitors to legal family only, Emma had not been allowed to visit since he was admitted.

_ Emma and Kat were huddled around a kitchen table in Emma and Jackson's apartment on Christmas Eve, watching it snowon the city below with the lights off. Christmas lights cast a warm glow throughout the room. Both girls were dressed in flannel, Christmas themed pajama pants and tank tops covered by thick, woolen cardigans and they both had cups of hot chocolate in their hands. _

_ "This is beautiful," Kat breathed, eyes wide as she took in the winter wonderland in front of her. _

_ "I wish Jackson were here to see this," Emma said softly. "Liam too. Where is he, anyway?" _

_ "Dunno," Kat shrugged. "He said something about a few Christmas errands to run. I didn't ask too many questions. He's been acting pretty mysterious today, though. When is Jackson supposed to be home?" _

_ "In a few days," Emma replied. "When I talked to him this morning he said that the doctor was still a little concerned about some bleeding where there shouldn't be. They want to get that taken care of before they release him. So it looks like we're spending Christmas apart, and he'll be in the hospital alone." _

_ "And they still won't let you in to visit?" _

_ Emma shook her head sadly. "No. I've asked everyday, I've tried bribing nurses, even, but since we aren't legally related in some way, I can't visit. Pandemic rules. And since his sister is still in Canada and the borders are closed, he's alone in the hospital. On Christmas." _

_ "I'm sorry, Em." _

_ Emma shrugged. "It is what it is. He doesn't sound all that upset about it, surprisingly, although he has made me promise that we will FaceTime most of the day tomorrow so he isn't left out of our time here together. And I'm glad that you and Liam are part of our bubble, though. At least I won't be spending the holidays alone. I think that makes him happy too." _

_ "Amen, sister," Kat agreed, clinking her steaming mug against Emma's. _

_ Behind them in the apartment, the key turned in the lock of the front door. "Liam, is that you?" Kat asked, not bothering to turn around.  _

_ "Yeah, babe!" Liam called. I'll be there in a minute. Both girls were still transfixed by the falling snow, and so they missed Liam quietly ushering Jackson into the apartment, both boys quietly taking off their coats and shoes, careful not to make any noises that might alert Emma and Kat that more than one person had just entered into the apartment. _

_ "Did you finish whatever errand you needed, Liam?" Emma asked. Both boys quietly approached the couch where the girls were sitting. _

_ "I would say so," Jackson said, a wide smile on his face. _

_ "Jackson? What?" Emma asked, turning around in a hurry, almost spilling her hot chocolate in the process. "How? What? How?" She threw off the blanket that was loosely wrapped around her legs and ran to him, jumping into his arms, eager to be as close as physically possible to him again. He laughed and eagerly scooped his hands under her thighs, holding her to him as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Her lips met his for one short moment, but she cut their reunion short to ask, "You said you weren't getting released for another few days?" _

_ "A Christmas fib. I can go back if that doesn't fit your timeline," he joked. _

_ "Don't you dare!" Emma cried. He winced as she wiggled against him. "Oh my God! I'm hurting you - come sit down!" _

_ He did look rather pale, and didn't put up a fight as she led him over to the couch kitty-corner to the one she and Kat had just been on. Liam took a seat next to Kat and wrapped his arm around her, a position that Jackson copied as he made himself comfortable on the couch. _

_ "How are you here?" Emma asked Jackson, peering up at him anxiously from where she now contentedly sat with her head buried in his neck. "Is it safe for you to be out of the hospital? You didn't check yourself out, did you?" _

_ "Yes, it's safe for me to be out, and no, I didn't check myself out. This is all doctor approved. They told me last night that I was getting discharged this afternoon, so I called Liam and asked him to help me with a little Christmas surprise." _

_ "Best Christmas present ever, Liam. Seriously. Thank you." _

_ "Anytime, Em," Liam answered. "I think we should get out of their hair, don't you Kat?" _

_ "We'll see you two lovebirds tomorrow," she nodded. "Make good choices kids!" _

_ Jackson kicked his feet up on the couch and then readjusted Emma so that she was laying between his legs, her back nestled up against his chest, and held her tightly, fingers tracing light patterns in her arms. _

_ "I've missed you, so, so much," he said softly. "Hospitals suck." _

_ "Agreed. No more playing hero, please? You had me so worried." _

_ "Am I sorry I worried you? Yes. Am I sorry I did it? Not a chance. You were in danger. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat." _

_ "Well, let's not have that happen," Emma compromised. "I'm so glad you're home. Home isn't home without you here." _

_ "I love you," Jackson said softly in return. He placed a gentle kiss on Emma's temple and another on her cheek before moving slowly, languidly to her lips. He kissed her like he needed her to breath. _

_ When he pulled away to catch his breath though, there were tears tracking down her face. "What's wrong?"  _

_ "You almost died Jackson! You were lying there on the floor, bleeding, and you weren't breathing and I couldn't do anything about it, and it was all because of me! I don't know what I would do without you and you almost died right in front of me!" _

_ "I'm right here, baby. I'm not going anywhere, ok? Nothing is going to drag me away from you. Nothing. Ok?" _

_ She nodded. _

_ "C'mon, let's go to bed. We're both exhausted." _

_ "Jackson?" _

_ "Yeah, Em?" _

_ She leaned in for another heady kiss. "I love you too." _

***

"I'm going to miss you," Betty told Jughead the next morning outside of the Seattle airport. It was early, the sun just barely peeking above the horizon and they were both still yawning as he pulled her in for a hug, gently caressing her back over the oversized t-shirt (his) and leggings (hers) that she wore. Kevin gave a disgruntled grunt and moved away from the two of them, to give them a minute to say their goodbyes in private.

She and Jughead had spent the evening before saying goodbyes that were rather emotional, especially given that they would only be separated for the next four days. They both chalked it up to the emotional scene they had just finished filming - Jackson's long hospital stay and near death had affected both of them much more than they had anticipated.

"I love you so much," he had whispered to her, hovering over her on his bed as he connected their bodies in the most intimate way possible. "Maybe it's too soon to say this, but I can't imagine my life without you in it."

"I'm going to miss you too," he replied into the cool morning air, jolting Betty away from her thoughts of the night before. "Don't let Alice make you too miserable, ok? And if Chic does anything… I mean anything to make you uncomfortable, just come home early, ok? I know that I've never met this guy, but something about him just seems off. I want you to be safe."

"I know, Jug." She stopped and took a deep breath. "Four days. I can do this."

"You're Betty Cooper. You can do anything." He looked around quickly and then, seeing no people looking their direction, leaned in and gave her a short kiss on the lips. "I love you."

"Love you too, Jug. I'll see you in a few days. Call you tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Jughead squeezed her hand and then handed her the rather large suitcase she was bringing with her - way larger than normally needed for four days anywhere except to Alice Cooper's house of horrors. 

"Ready?" Kevin asked. He and Fangs, still going strong, had apparently said their goodbyes the night before, once again denying Betty the chance to meet him. 

"As I'll ever be."

"Have a safe flight! See you Sunday," Jughead said as he got into Archie's truck. He must have texted her as soon as he closed the door because as soon as she walked through the airport doors and headed towards security, she felt her phone buzz.

_ Jughead Jones: I love you. Don't let her get to you. You can do this. _

***

"Honestly, Elizabeth, you're overreacting! I see no reason why you're putting up such a fuss!"

"Chic snuck into my room and was watching me sleep for God knows how long… you don't find  _ anything  _ wrong with that, Mom? It's creepy and uncomfortable! I don't feel safe in this house with a brother that does that!" 

Betty had awoken in the early hours of the morning with the uneasy feeling that someone's eyes were on her. She had jumped when she peeked her eyes open to see Chic sitting at her vanity just… watching her. With a gasp she had pulled the blankets up to her shoulders, covering the thin tank top she wore, trying to shield herself from her brother's uncomfortable gaze. "What are you doing? Get the fuck out!" she had hissed. He had done as she had asked, although not without letting his eyes drag slowly up and down her body first. As soon as the door was shut, Betty jumped out of bed and hastily locked the door behind him. 

Still shaking, she had texted Kevin and asked him to come over as soon as he was awake for moral support, knowing that a confrontation was coming in the Cooper household. She tossed and turned for most of the night, desperately wishing that Jughead's arms were around her to provide the safety she craved. It was a long time before she was able to fall into a restless sleep, and she definitely looked like it. 

"Elizabeth, you're being dramatic. He's your brother for God's sake!" Alice Cooper replied with a wave of her hands. 

'Waving away any hint of Cooper imperfection, as per usual,' Betty thought, blood boiling.

Chic was silent where he sat in the corner by the fireplace, but the smirk on his face confirmed that his actions had been far from innocent. 

"I don't care if he is, Mom! This shouldn't be happening! You always stand up for him, no matter how uncomfortable something he does makes me feel! It was like this in high school too! That's why I left!"

It was Black Friday, and Betty was at the end of her rope. From the time Betty arrived in Riverdale the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Alice had been a veritable fountain spouting off one passive aggressive comment after another. Polly was spending the Thanksgiving holiday with her boyfriend's family in Maine, so she couldn't soften Alice's suggestions.

And Betty had put up with it. When Alice pursed her lips and suggested that Betty might be more comfortable in a skirt and sweater than in the actually comfortable leggings and tshirt she had worn on the plane, Betty silently did as she asked. When matchmaker Alice overpowered Betty's desire to sit next to Kevin at Thanksgiving dinner and instead forced her to sit next to Adam Chisolm, the doctor she wanted to set Betty up with, Betty gave a forced smile and made polite small talk, letting the man down gently at the end of the night with sighs of relief on both ends. And when Alice's eyes had widened when Betty asked for her to pass the potatoes, Betty didn't ask again when they weren't sent her direction, and she didn't ask for pie either.

But now she had had enough. "I'm done," she announced to the room. Kevin and Mr. Keller, invited to a post Thanksgiving lunch to help them finish off their leftovers, looked up in surprise. Kevin met Betty's eye and gave her an encouraging nod, along with a subtle fist pump. She took a deep breath and continued. 

"I'm done," Betty repeated. "I'm tired of feeling like my needs are not important in this house. I'm tired of feeling the need to look constantly over my shoulder because of Chic. So I'm going to go upstairs and pack my bag, and then I am leaving, Mom. Don't call me, don't follow me to Seattle, don't even think about trying to freeze my bank accounts - I moved my savings after the last stunt you pulled, by the way. I want nothing to do with you until you can take a long, hard look at your life and can see that I have never, ever been as important to you as he is."

"Fine," Alice shouted, face enraged. "Go back to Seattle. Go back to being a Hollywood slut sleeping with casting producers to get your next gig! See if I care! One day, and one day soon, your looks will run out and you'll be some dried up old has been that no one remembers anything about, and when that happens, don't even think about crawling back here to me. You are out - out of this house and out of this family!"

Betty felt tears prickling at her eyes and a lump rose in her throat, but rather than show her mother any sign of weakness, she pushed past her mother and walked up the stairs. Kevin followed her, dialing a number on his phone as he went.

"Hey, Jughead," Betty heard Kevin say as she quickly folded her clothes back into her suitcase. She realized that she should take a minute to process what just happened, but her thoughts were racing through her head, stumbling over each other in their race to be heard in the spaces of her mind, and it was too much. She needed to do something, anything, that could quiet her spiraling thoughts for a moment. Packing was the best she could do. "Can you do me a favor? Betty is coming home tonight. Alice was… well, Alice was Alice. She said some… things. When I send you her flight info can you go pick her up? She's going to need you." He listened for a minute and then nodded. "Yeah, that would actually make things easier. Thanks, man."

Hanging up, he marched up to Betty, helping her shuffle her toiletries into her backpack. Her fingers clenched wildly into her palms the moment she placed her bottle of shampoo in the bag and then zipped it up. Wildly, she stripped off her shirt and pulled on one of Jughead's t-shirts that she had snuck into her bag before she left Seattle, grasping at straws to find something that would help her calm down. His familiar scent made its way to her nose and she breathed deeply.

Kevin, filling in for Jughead's typical role, grabbed her hands gently when he saw her fingers piercing her palms. "Betty, come sit down for a minute."

He led her over to her bed and pushed her shoulders, forcing her to sit. "Are you ok?" Betty just looked at him. On the outside she was still and slow, but on the inside, her mind was chaos. It was like her mind was trying to play out every possible consequence that her confrontation with her mother could possibly have, resulting in a mish-mash of jumbled thoughts for her brain to wade through. Her heart pounded, faster than normal even to her unpracticed ears and she felt her fingers itching to curl towards her palms.

"Betty, three good things. Ready?"

She nodded, trying to calm her racing thoughts enough to focus.

"Number one?" Kevin coached, squeezing her hand.

"Im… umm, I'm going home."

"And I'm very jealous of that, by the way, but I'm spending Christmas with Fangs so I owe it to my dad to stay the full visit. Number two?"

"Jughead," Betty could feel her panicked breathing start to slow, and the ability to think complete thoughts slowly began to return to her. "I love Jughead and he treats me well and he makes me feel happy and supported." 

"And he's taking care of your plane ticket. He wanted me to focus on helping you keep your fingers out of your palms. And he said to tell you he loves you and he'll be waiting for you on the other side. Three?"

"I stood up to my mother." Betty cracked a small grin.

"That you did, B. And I am so proud of you," Kevin said softly as he pulled her in for a gentle hug. "And just so you know, Alice Cooper is so, so wrong. You are not some washed up Hollywood slut, and you never will be. Ok? Now let's get you home."

Kevin drove her to the airport in his dad's old truck, and she was grateful that he allowed the radio to fill the silence, leaving her primarily alone with her thoughts except for his periodic glances to make sure that he fingers weren't digging into the now red and inflamed skin of her palms. Her phone dinged halfway through their drive with a text from Jughead.

_ Jughead Jones: I found you a flight that leaves in just under two hours. If you want to talk while you wait, call me. I love you. I can't wait to have you back in my arms soon. _

She took him up on his offer as soon as she passed through security and took a seat at her gate. The airport was less crowded than she had suspected it would be given the Thanksgiving holiday, and she was grateful, not up for spontaneous autograph sessions with fans today. 

"Hi baby," he said when he picked up after the first ring. "What happened?"

"Chic snuck into my bedroom last night to watch me sleep, and when I demanded that my mother do something about it, she just made excuse after excuse for him. It was disgusting." She felt her heart rate speed up, and she burrowed her head into her sweatshirt, looking for the scent that was so uniquely Jughead.

"That sick fuck," Jug cried out, and Betty knew without a doubt that if Chic ever met Jughead, he'd better watch out. 

"And then when I told her I was done, she called me a Hollywood slut and told me I was out of the family. Said that one day I would be nothing and to not come crying to her when it happened." She fell silent for a minute, and then continued. "As far as I'm concerned, they're both cut out. If Alice ever comes to her senses about Chic and apologizes then maybe we can try to repair our relationship, but as far as he's concerned, I don't have a brother anymore."

***

Late that night when Betty arrived in Seattle, she was greeted by a beanie and flannel that had grown as familiar to her as her sweaters and ponytails. He said nothing to her in the airport, only grabbed her suitcase and led her out the doors. But the moment they were seated in Archie's truck, parked in a shadowy, out of the way space in a parking lot, Jughead pulled her over the center console and into his lap, holding her tightly in his arms. She sighed and breathed in the scent - leather and coffee - that was so familiar to her now, a sense of calm flooding her overwhelmed system.

"Thank you," she sniffled into his shoulder.

"Of course, baby," he whispered into her hair. "I love you. And I'm so proud of you. And your mom is so, so wrong." 

She was silent, but nodded.

"You are a brilliant actress, and people are going to be tripping over themselves trying to get you to audition for them. And even if they're not, you are never, ever going to be a nobody. Because you are everything to me."

"Jug," she breathed. Jughead certainly had a way with words, and a way with using those words to affirm how much he needed her. Any words that she had to respond in kind were woefully inadequate, so she leaned down and kissed him, pouring every feeling of love and affection and need into it.

He gently wiped the tears from her eyes as they separated. "Now let's go home! It hasn't been the same without you."

***

Jellybean and Sweet Pea were asleep in Archie's room by the time Jughead and Betty stepped through the door of the boy's apartment. Jughead rolled Betty's suitcase into his bedroom and then passed her one of his shirts that he pulled from his drawer. "I'm going to go make a sandwich for myself - do you want one?"

Betty nodded in agreement and then began stripping off her jacket as he made his way to the kitchen and began composing sandwiches for the both of them from Thanksgiving leftovers. She had been quiet since he picked her up at the airport, not telling Jughead anything more than she had already told him on the phone but Kevin had called him after dropping Betty off at the airport, knowing that Betty wouldn't likely tell Jughead the whole story, and had filled him in. His heart hurt for his girlfriend, and it was all he could do to keep from calling Alice and Chic and giving them a piece of his mind. The first time he met either one of them, he wasn't sure that he could be responsible for whatever he said, or did to either one of them. 

Shuddering, he put the food on plates and headed back to his bedroom, noticing that his apartment felt much more homelike now that she was back. He found her sitting in his bed, sheets loose around her hips and hair out of its ponytail, rubbing small circles into her temples, a sure sign that she had a headache. He wordlessly went to her purse and pulled out her migraine medication, handing it to her, before handing her the plate of food he had made for her.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"Headache?" She nodded. "Migraine?"

"Just a little one. Today was so overwhelming, I think my brain is on overdrive and is freaking out."

They sat shoulder to shoulder, silently eating their sandwiches - Jughead noticed that Betty only ate half of hers before she set it back down on the plate and pushed it toward him to finish it - and when they were done and he had returned their plates to the kitchen, he pulled her body gently into his, placing kisses at her temples while massaging the tension knots from her shoulders.

"How was your Thanksgiving?" Betty asked him after a moment. They had talked on the phone Thursday night, but it had been late and they had both been tired, so they skimmed over most of the day.

"It was good… would have been better with you, but it was good. The food that you left was very good, by the way." Upon learning that Jughead would be sharing the holiday with Toni, Sweet Pea, and Jelly Bean, all of whom had even worse cooking skills than Jughead did, Betty had insisted on taking over his kitchen for the evening, cooking them several meals worth of Thanksgiving favorites. Just like with the very first time she had cooked for him, he had tried to help but was promptly told to 'sit there and look pretty' after he almost lost a finger in the process.

"I know the way to your heart, Jughead Jones," Betty teased, smiling at him for the first time that evening. "It's through your stomach."

"You already have my heart, though. No food necessary."

"You're a sap," she said, gently kissing his cheek. "But I love you."

"Good. How was your yesterday?"

"It would have been much better if I was here instead of in New York. Kev was there, which helped, but Alice was just one passive aggressive comment after another. First it was my clothes, and then it was my weight and then…"

"Wait, your mother told you she thought you were overweight?"

"Yep."

"You know that she is one hundred percent wrong, right? You are perfect, just the way you are. Is that why you didn't eat much tonight?"

Betty sighed and then nodded. "She always does this - she gets inside my head. She told me my sweaters - some of which I've literally had for like five years, by the way - were looking a little tight and insinuated that Cheryl would fire me if I gained too much weight. And then she blocked out all of my attempts to sit next to Kevin at dinner because I didn't appreciate her attempts to set me up with Adam, but I was ignored and told to 'stop embarrassing me, Elizabeth,' and then I wasn't allowed to have potatoes or pie at dinner." She pouted for a minute. "And I really, really wanted a piece of pie."

"I'll be right back," Jughead said with a grin. A minute later, he came back with a large slice of pumpkin pie on a plate with two forks. 

"You're my hero," she said, smiling up at him. Then, her smile faded.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry for being such a burden. I'm ruining your weekend with your sister and Sweet Pea. I should go over to my apartment so I'm not intruding."

"Hey, hey," Jughead said, putting the plate down and grabbing her hands in his. "You are not a burden. I want you here, and I want you to meet my sister. I am so happy that you're home, because home hasn't felt like home without you. JB and Sweet Pea were honestly complaining all weekend that I hadn't managed to convince you to stay here because they both wanted to meet you officially so badly, and they were really happy when I told them that you were coming home early, ok?"

"Ok. You're sure?"

"One hundred percent. Now let's finish our pie and go to bed. You look exhausted." 

Soon, he was reaching over her to turn off the light as she cuddled close. 

"Hey, Betts?" he asked, feeling bold in the darkness. "What are you doing for Christmas?"

"I hadn't thought about that… I guess I'll probably stay here since I don't exactly want to see my mom and I'm sure I wouldn't be welcome anyway. Spend the day curled up in my pajamas watching Christmas movies."

"What would you think about us celebrating Christmas together?"

"I thought you were going back to LA for the Christmas break?"

"Well, I was… but Sweet Pea told me last night that he's surprising JB with Christmas in Hawaii. And there is something very appealing about spending Christmas day holed up with you, just the two of us. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds pretty great." Then she yawned deeply. "Go to sleep, Betts," he said, kissing her good night. She nodded in agreement, and entwined their legs together.

"I love you. Thank you for today."

"You're welcome. And I love you too. So, so much."

***

_ @Bugheadlover: Did you see Betty's insta story?? She and Jughead were together - they seem very cozy lately! _

_ @Fairbough2022: @Bugheadlover they were with Archie and Veronica… nothing to see there. Can't men and women just be friends? _

_ @Bugheadlover: @Fairbough2022 when I watched Veronica's insta story from the same day, it definitely looked like he had his arm around her for a minute. And then Veronica took the video down really quickly… _

_ @Fairbough2022: He was probably just giving her a hug. Like friends do. _

_ @BettyCoopstan: Betty Cooper was just spotted out with Jellybean Jones! OMG she met his family AND they spent the holidays together! _

_ @Jonesfan#1: @BettyCoopstan she went home for Thanksgiving, Kevin Keller posted a picture of them on the plane together. But meeting Jughead's sister is something… _

_ The Daily Mail: Is Jughead Jones going home with Betty Cooper for the holidays? Signs from her latest instagram story point to 'yes'! _

_ People: Betty Cooper Just Met Jellybean Jones. When will Betty and Jughead Make it Official? _

_ Buzzfeed: How 25 Celebrities Spent the Thanksgiving Holiday: Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones aren't the only couple celebrating together. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. Has anyone else always been bothered by how obsessed Alice is with her daughters, but the moment Chic comes along, Alice could care less? I mean, Betty literally told her mother that she wasn't comfortable with Chic in the house, and Alice was like 'yeah, so?'... Hopefully I played this up well, I do think that it's a very interesting family, if problematic, family dynamic at play.
> 
> Chapters will be slowing down from here on out. I have 1 and a part of another written, but they need massive edits. I'm hoping for a chapter every other week until I get a few more written.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos, they make my day!


	14. Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead can't keep their hands off of each other at the network Christmas party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took insanely longer than I had anticipated - I'd meant to have it published last Tuesday, but it's been a rough few weeks. My students are ready for a school break, and their teacher isn't far behind, my anxiety has been making my perfectionist tendencies ten times worse, and on Sunday my husband managed to explode a 2 liter bottle of pop all over my living room carpet and my floor is still sticky. 3 more days and I have 2 weeks of no lesson planning where I can write my little heart out!
> 
> Thanks for sticking with this! Constructive comments and kudos are always appreciated!

"Bettykins and I are having a girls day to get ready for this Christmas party. We need to make ourselves beautiful, and you two will just be a distraction, so I am implementing a 'No boys allowed,' restriction on this apartment" Veronica declared on the afternoon of December 22. Betty, Veronica, Archie, Jughead and Kevin were currently sitting in the girl's apartment, eating lunch before they separated to attend the network's company Christmas party. The entire cast of  _ The Quarantine Tales  _ would be attending, as would the cast and crew of numerous other shows. Unfortunately, this also meant that this was a huge press event.

"Well, except for Kevin," Veronica amended as she finished her salad. "Now Archiekins, you and Jughead are banished to your own apartment for the afternoon. It's the one two doors down, on the left, in case you've forgotten where it is. Play video games or whatever it is you do since all it takes is fifteen minutes and a hairbrush for you to make yourselves as hot as you are!" Veronica ran a seductive hand up Archie's broad chest, and Betty and Jughead quickly looked away.

"You're already beautiful," Jughead whispered to Betty, leaning in to kiss her goodbye.

"And you're cheesy," she laughed in response. "But thank you."

"You'll be ok?" he asked, hesitantly. Betty had been feeling more and more anxious, the further entrenched they became in the holiday season, and the Christmas party tonight was only making it worse. Her brain was on overdrive, flitting from one worse case scenario to the next, and she knew that Jughead had been pulling double duty trying to help her keep her nails out of her palms. Her meds were helping, but he was a calming force like none other.

"I'll be fine. I'll call you if I need you, ok?" she replied. "I'll see you in a bit. Love you!"

"See you later, Archiekins," Veronica crooned, patting his cheek affectionately, before pushing him towards the door. "Now get out!"

"Anyone up for a little holiday cheer?" Kevin asked, pulling a bottle of peppermint schnapps from his coat pocket. The girls nodded, and dumped a healthy splash of the liquor into the cups of piping hot, hot chocolate that Betty had made a few moments earlier. 

Betty put on a holiday playlist, "All I Want for Christmas is You," blaring loudly. 

Kevin gave a whoop. "Mariah Carey is a goddess and there's nothing you can do to change my mind." He took a sip of his doctored hot chocolate, grimaced, and then poured another glug of schnapps into his cup. 

"Alright, we have serious work to do!" Veronica announced, barely heard over the music as she dragged Betty and Kevin to her bedroom and the gigantic closet and vanity she had at her disposal there. Veronica pushed a silk bathrobe into Betty's hands, motioning for her to strip down. Betty did as she was told and then sat in the vanity chair. The table in front of her was filled with Veronica's makeup collection, and Betty couldn't help but wonder how one person could use that many products on a regular basis. She was more of a minimalist, mascara and coverup kind of girl, unless she was on set or it was a special occasion. Apparently, Veronica's beauty routine was more complex.

"So, I'm thinking we should put her hair up," Kevin said, scrutinizing Betty's hair for a minute. "We want to draw the attention down towards her dress."

"God, I love this dress, B!" She nodded approvingly at the dress Betty had picked out for the evening, a short, sequined little number that started as a deep burgundy color at the top with an ombre fade that ended in light gold at the bottom, a few inches above her knees. The spaghetti straps showed off her shoulders, while a tasteful v-neckline left just enough to the imagination. Paired with heels, Betty felt like her legs went on for miles, and she couldn't deny that she felt unbelievably sexy in it.

"Jughead isn't going to know what hit him," Kevin said with an eyebrow wiggle. "And I bet he shows you how much he appreciates how hot you're going to look in that dress!"

"Kev!"

"Don't try to tell me that that doesn't happen on a very regular basis, Betty Boop," Kevin smirked.

Betty just blushed.

"I rest my case."

"How are things going with the two of you?" Veronica asked, coming up behind Betty with a piping hot curling iron. Betty's hair had dried rather curly after her… dirtier than intended… shower that morning, but her natural curls still needed a little bit of what Veronica called 'VaVoom!' "I mean, you're all over each other, like, all the time, but physical chemistry isn't everything."

"You're one to talk, Veronica. You and Archie barely come up for air long enough to have an actual conversation," Kevin teased. He did have a point. Betty had walked in on Archie and Veronica in various states of undress more times than she could count.

"My Archiekins and I have a connection that transcends the need for words."

"The sex is that good?" Kevin asked incredulously.

"The sex is that good," Veronica confirmed. 

"Even though the first several months of your relationship, you were fuck buddies, whose relationship almost fell apart because you weren't talking about your feelings?"

"Yes, Kevin, even after that. Now stop trying to distract me! Betty, you and Jughead?"

"Things are really, really good. I have never been this happy in a relationship before, V. With him I feel… I don't know." Betty shrugged. "He's my person. I can trust him with everything. I have always trusted him with everything, from the first day that we met. I want to know everything about him - the good things and the bad things, and I want to be able to support him with all of it. And I want him to know these things about me too. He's the person that I want to see at the end of a long day, on the days when all I want to do is cry, on the days when I'm a big ball of anxiety. We are so early into this relationship, but I love him so much it actually scares me sometimes. He makes me smile, he makes me laugh… I always know that I am safe and loved and appreciated when I'm around him."

"And, don't forget that your sexual chemistry is off the walls. Honey, that boy can't keep his eyes off of you," Kevin added. "I don't know how you two managed to keep your relationship a secret for as long as you did."

"He can't keep his hands off of me, either," Betty admitted.

"Trust me, B, we know," Veronica smirked. Betty blushed, thinking about the previous day when Veronica had walked in on her and Jughead making out on the couch, his hands inching their way up her skirt. If Veronica had walked in two minutes later, Betty wasn't positive she could have ever looked Veronica in the eyes ever again.

"B," Veronica said, noticing Betty's embarrassed blush, "every possible place that you and Jughead have made out in that apartment… Archie and I have probably made it there."

"And now I'm making a mental note to bleach our entire apartment over the break," Betty said with a grimace.

"Jughead's not going to be able to keep his hands off of you tonight, either. I hope you told him to behave himself if you want this relationship to just stay inner circle only," Kevin said, trying to steer the conversation towards the original topic. "There's going to be press at this party."

"We've both promised to be on our best behavior. We both want a relaxing Christmas together. The last thing either of us wants is for the paparazzi to be in our business because they caught us tonight at the party," Betty assured him.

"Hopefully they'll be too distracted by me and Archiekins to notice Bughead," Veronica decided, "because I'm not so sure that he won't be distracted by the way that you look in that dress all night. Anyone want to place bets on how soon you two sneak off to a coat closet together? No? Well, it's your loss."

Betty laughed. "Sorry, V. Not part of my plan!" Behind Betty's back, Veronica and Kevin made some rushed hand signals, and Betty was sure that money would be changing hands at some point before the evening was over - she could only hope that one of her friends might give her and Jughead the benefit of the doubt. Thankfully, Veronica dropped it and asked Betty,"Are you and Jug still spending Christmas together?" 

"We are," Betty said with a slight blush, thinking about the gift she had found in a vintage shop a few weeks ago that she had wrapped and placed beneath her Christmas tree. There was also another gift waiting in her dresser drawer that had decidedly more black lace than his other present. "There's no way I'm going to my mom's house, not after what happened on Thanksgiving. And since Jughead's sister is going to Hawaii, along with someone else I know," Betty gave a pointed look at Veronica, who would be spending her Christmas on a white sandy beach with her parents, "we decided to spend it together. It just feels… right. Being with Jug is comfortable. I'm not being constantly criticized like I am when I'm with my mom, or looking over my shoulder like I am when I'm with my brother. And it will be nice to have some time, just the two of us, before Alice Cooper arrives and all hell breaks loose." Betty and Alice had tentatively patched up their relationship, and although things were still rocky between then, and Betty still wasn't speaking to Chic, Alice had invited herself to Seattle after Christmas, which Betty had begrudgingly accepted. If by begrudgingly accepted she meant that she had fought tooth and nail to keep Alice Cooper in Riverdale, where she belonged, only caving when Alice threatened to fly to Seattle and bring Betty back to New York herself. She wouldn't put it past Alice to get Jughead arrested for 'kidnapping' Betty, boyfriend or not.

"I would pay millions to see the look on Mama Cooper's face when you introduce her to Jughead as your boyfriend!" Kevin grinned, eyes shiny with mirth. "I bet it's priceless! I would seriously pay for pictures of that. He does know what he's getting into, right?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure if my mom knows what she's getting into here. Jug was about ready to fly to New York and tell her off after what she said to me at Thanksgiving, so she'd better watch herself around him. Besides, he says he doesn't care what she thinks. You approve of him, Kev, and you're more family to me than my actual family is right now."

"You're going to make me cry and that's going to make you cry, and then we're going to have to redo your makeup," Kevin said sternly to her.

The room was silent for a minute, save for the Christmas music on in the background, leaving Veronica to put the finishing touches on Betty's hair while Kevin finished her makeup.

"You don't think…" Betty asked slowly, "that things are moving too fast with me and Jughead, do you?" It was a question that she was almost afraid to ask, but it had been weighing on her since Thanksgiving. "I mean, we've only been together since the end of August but we've already said 'I love you,' we're spending Christmas together, and we spend more nights together than apart when we aren't working…" Unconsciously, her nails curled into palms, the familiar biting ache bringing a sense of comfort. 

"Do you think you and Jughead are moving too fast?" Veronica interrupted, recognizing the signs that Betty was about to talk herself into a spiral.

"No, no, that's not what I'm trying to say at all… I just…"

"Betty, honey, have you talked to Jug about this?" Veronica asked, rubbing her shoulder. Betty's hands uncurled a bit.

"Yes," Betty admitted. "He says that we should do what feels right for us and not worry about anyone else."

"He's right, B," Veronica said with a nod. "Who cares what anyone else thinks? You have a really good thing going with Jughead, and honestly, you both seem so, ridiculously happy right now. Fuck anyone else's opinion, I say."

"She's right, Betty Boop. Besides, Fangs and I are in just about the same boat," Kevin reminded her. Kevin and Fangs, the man he had met at the bar, and been hot and heavy, practically inseparable since they had met. Betty had met Fangs several times, and she couldn't have imagined anyone more perfect for Kevin.

Veronica set the curling iron down with a flourish, having just finished a few accent curls. "There, B, I think your hair is done. I did a fabulous job, if I do say so myself." 

Betty looked in the mirror and couldn't help but agree. Veronica had magicked her blonde hair into an elegant, braided updo, leaving a few curls down around Betty's face. There was a decidedly romantic vibe about her hair, accented by the soft browns Kevin had used in her eye shadow. 

Betty retreated to the closet to pull her dress on.

"Oh my God! You look so gorgeous!" Veronica and Kevin squealed when Betty came out, fully dressed. "Jughead isn't going to know what hit him!"

***

They were right. Veronica, had insisted that the boys knock when they came to pick the girls up, so that the whole thing would feel more 'date-like.' When Jughead and Archie arrived, Jughead's mouth dropped open and he stared at her for a full minute before stammering, "Betts, wow… you look… wow…" Beside him, Archie wasn't much better as he took in Veronica, dressed in a short, long-sleeved forest green sequined dress, accented with her customary string of pearls around her neck.

Jughead was rather handsome himself, with a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and slacks, suspenders sitting on his shoulders instead of down by his waist for once. He had a suit jacket slung over his shoulder, but Betty knew that it would spend most of the night draped over the back of a chair. All of the anxiety that had been settled over her for most of the day in anticipation of this party melted away, and she squirmed uncomfortably at the ache that shot through her abdomen, just at the sight of him. It was going to be a long night - she itched to slide his suspenders off of his shoulders and sensuously unbutton his shirt, teasing him with kisses as she worked her way down his torso. 'Maybe Veronica will be winning that bet,' she thought grimmly. 

The network had sent a car for them, and while they waited, she leaned in close and whispered, "You look nice too, Jug."

"Do we have to go to this?" Jughead asked in return. "That dress looks amazing on you, Betts… it would look better after I've peeled it off of you and thrown it on the floor, but I will definitely appreciate the view until I'm able to do that later tonight!"

"Wait until you see what I have on underneath," she teased. He swallowed loudly, pupils blown with lust.

"Archie in his underwear. Dead puppies. Blood sucking tarantulas," he intoned, eyes squeezed tight, willing himself to gain some modicum of self control if they were going to get through the night with their relationship still a secret to those outside of their circle.

"Jesus, Betts," he whispered once he had control of himself. "If your intention is to get dragged to the coat closet tonight, you're on the right track."

"This hairstyle took way too long to do, and one misplaced hairpin will send it tumbling down. No coat closets tonight! Promise me!"

"I promise I will leave your hair alone when I drag you to a coat closet." 

She smirked at him. "Close enough." She winked and then stepped off of the curb, towards the limo that had just pulled up to take them to the party. 

He helped her into the car, following closely behind her. "Let's get this over with."

The party was packed when they arrived - network officials, cast and crew members from various network shows, and press all mingled together around elegantly decorated tables. Veronica and Betty stopped in the ladies room to check that the weather hadn't disrupted their hair and makeup, sending the boys ahead to their table.

They made their way back to the boys separately, as Veronica had spotted a friend and had gone to say hello. Betty's eyes meandered around the room searching for Jughead and Archie, finally landing on Jughead, suit jacket already draped over the back of the chair next to him, marking the seat as taken (by her). He ran his hands through his, for once, beaniless hair and she itched to replace his hands with hers. She began to walk his direction, but before she could reach the table, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm.

Betty internally groaned as soon as she saw who it was: Veronica's friend Elio, a playboy masquerading as a reporter for his family's entertainment journalism company. He was certainly good looking, and he was not shy about using his looks and his family's money to get ahead.

"Betty Cooper! I thought I saw you in the crowd!"

"Elio," Betty nodded, shaking her arm free of his hand.

"Is Ronnie around here somewhere?"

"She's around here somewhere. You know Veronica. She's always the most well connected in the room."

"Are you here with anyone?" Elio fished, eyeing her up and down appreciatively. His eyes lingered longer than appropriate at her chest and she had to fight the shudder that tried to shake through her. "You look stunning, by the way."

"There are a group of us from  _ Quarantine Tales  _ here," Betty replied, dodging the implied question that Elio had hinted at. 

"No boyfriend here tonight?"

"Nope," Betty replied, praying that her face didn't give her away. Elio was off the clock but Betty knew enough about him to know that that would never stop him from breaking a story about her dating life if she gave anything away.

"Want someone to show you a good time tonight?" He leaned in, glancing down at her chest again, and Betty felt rather repulsed.

"I think Betty will have a good time without you needing to show her one." Jughead sauntered up to her and Elio. "Here," he added, holding out the suit jacket that had been slung over the back of her chair. "You looked cold."

It was all Betty could do to not roll her eyes at the overt jealousy and possessiveness that Jughead was displaying, but she couldn't deny that she was also incredibly turned on.

Elio's eyes narrowed in thinly veiled curiosity. He dug in his jacket pocket for a moment before producing a business card with a phone number on it. "Call me if you change your mind."

Jughead glared at him as he sauntered off. He had the decency to look ashamed of himself when Betty turned her eyes onto him, unamused.

"I looked cold?" she asked with a raised eyebrow

"Umm… yes?"

"You weren't jealous, were you Jug?"

"Me? Jealous? No. Definitely not."

"Good. Because you definitely have nothing to worry about. You're the only person who gets to see what I have on… or don't have on… under this dress. Although, it would be pretty hot if you were just a little bit jealous…"

"Oh really?"

"You might have been able to persuade me to sneak away into a dark closet to give you some extra… reassurance…" She looked into his eyes and saw them darken with lust.

"I was jealous. Very, very jealous!" Jughead said quickly.

Betty just smirked and then grabbed two drinks off of a tray that passed next to them. She handed one to him and then took a sip of her own.

"But you just said that you weren't!" she teased. "And Archie and Veronica are waiting for us. But don't worry, baby," she added, leaning in with a sultry gaze. "When we get home tonight, I'll spend the rest of our night making sure you know just how much I  _ need  _ you." She added some emphasis onto need, and chanced a glance towards his waist. His eyes followed hers, and he took a deep breath in, hand tightening on his glass. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her tonight, whether it was how sexy she felt in the dress, or how incredibly turned on she felt by Jughead's display a few minutes earlier, but she wanted to wind him up until he could take it no more.

"Coming, Jug?" she asked, nodding at their table. The double meaning of her words didn't escape either of them.

"Fuck," he groaned before following after her.

***

Betty was torturing him, plain and simple. And it was driving him absolutely insane. 

First she had walked out of the apartment dressed in some sort of clingy outfit that perfectly accented her chest and her legs. Even better, the deep red of the top of her dress had highlighted just how green her eyes really were, and, while he usually preferred it when she wore her hair down, instead of up in its usual ponytail, her hair was swept up into a beautiful knot that could only have been created by Veronica. The slope of her neck had been tempting him all night. 

Then came her tantalizing remarks about what was underneath her dress. He supposed that was halfway his fault, since he had, rather carelessly, told her that he would much rather see her dress on her bedroom floor. She had, naturally, risen to the occasion, teasing him until he too, had risen to the occasion. Luckily dead puppies and spiders had taken care of that little problem, but it had left him incredibly on edge. 

He didn't miss the way that everyone's heads turned as Betty walked into the room - she had been turning his head since the day he met her, after all - but a caveman part of himself wanted to mark her to everyone as being his -  _ only his _ . He had never been so disappointed to not be able to proudly declare to the world that he got to hold Betty Cooper in his arms at the end of every day. So when Elio, a tabloid reporter with a big reputation made his move, Jughead made his decision without a second thought. He left the table, interrupting Archie in the middle of his sentence, grabbing on the jacket from the chair he had been saving for Betty, before making his way to her. In hindsight, he realized that he had nothing to worry about - there was a snowball's chance in hell that Betty would ever consider leaving the party with Elio, even if Jughead wasn't in the picture - but the thought of anyone trying to hit on  _ his  _ girl made his skin crawl. For one small moment, he was on edge for an entirely different reason, but then Elio left, Betty declared that she found his jealousy sexy, and he was right back in the state he had been in before they had arrived at the Christmas party. Except now she was walking around wearing his suit jacket (which he very much realized was a major threat to them keeping their relationship inner-circle only, but he couldn't help himself), and it was sexy as hell.

She knew it too. When they went back to their table, she had brushed her hand  _ just  _ along the top of his collar, and goosebumps had risen up, marking where her fingers had been. Later, she leaned over him to hand a drink to Fangs, Kevin's boyfriend, granting him a steady view of his chest. When she sat back in her seat, her fingers brushed over the top of his pants, and it was all he could do to stifle the moan that slipped past his lips with a cough. 

And now she was on the dance floor, grinding sensuously up against Veronica, making occasional eye contact with him. All he could do was wish that Betty's body was pressed intimately against his, that he could run his hand along the smooth curve of her waist and press a kiss to the space on her neck that had been staring at him all night. She knew exactly what she was doing, and he couldn't take it anymore. 

The song shifted into a slow, jazzy, Christmas-sy sway, and he pushed his chair back from the table, and walked towards his girlfriend, who stood waiting for him on the dance floor. 

"Jug, what are you doing?" she hissed as he grabbed one of her hands in his and moved his other to her waist. Her empty hand floated to his shoulder, and he couldn't help but notice he felt more grounded now that he was able to touch her, freely - or as freely as he was able to given their current relationship status of 'together, but secret'. 

"I'm dancing with you," he whispered in reply. "Friends do that all the time. We're fine. I'll behave myself, I promise." Truthfully, what they were doing was probably a little suspicious, given the caveman display of behavior he put on earlier, with Elio and the jacket that Betty was still wearing around her shoulders, but he couldn't bring himself to care too much. They danced slowly for a moment, and though his hands were tempted to stray, they remained firmly in 'just friends' territory. Just being able to touch her was grounding.

Until the song ended and she murmured, "What if I don't want you to behave yourself?"

Fuck. He was instantly half hard. Whichever of their friends had bet that they would end up in the coat closet tonight would be earning some money.

He looked around quickly before speaking. "Go sit down at our table. I'll go find somewhere we can be alone and I'll text you." She hurried to do as she was told, her face flushed a beautiful shade of pink, and he left the room. After a quick trip to the bathroom to throw anyone who might have been watching off the scent, he made a detour into a supply closet that he had found miraculously unlocked, and sent her a text.

Moments later, the door opened and she slipped in, locking the door behind her.

The next thing he knew, Jug had her pressed up against the wall and was fervently exploring her mouth with his. She moaned into the kiss and ground her pelvis into his.

"Fuck, Betts," he breathed as his lips attacked her neck, sucking just lightly enough to not leave a mark. "You have been driving me crazy all fucking night."

"Oops?" Rather than responding, he grasped his hands under her thighs and carried her to a work bench at the back of the room, setting her down on it and stepping between her legs to press against her in one smooth motion. Betty moaned at his display of dominance, and her face flushed as his lips met hers again.

His hands crept up her thighs, inching their way under her skirt, until they came to a piece of lace covering her most intimate areas that he barely considered underwear. She had already soaked through the small scrap of lace and he felt himself harden in anticipation. He smiled into the kiss and then pulled back, sinking to his knees in front of her. Betty's breath hitched in anticipation and her fingers reached for his body, trying to pull him closer to her. It gave him an idea. He sat back on his heels and Betty groaned with disappointment.

"Do you want something, Betts?" he teased, looking up at her.

"Yes, you!"

"I thought you said I wasn't allowed to drag you away into a coat closet, earlier tonight?" he asked, feigning ignorance about what she had done all night. 

"Please, Jug, I  _ need  _ you."

"I would never have guessed that by the way you've been teasing me all night," he said dryly. "Very unfair, Cooper." He reached up and took her hands, pushing them back towards the counter, and curling them around the counter lip so that she was grasping it firmly.

"So it's only fair that you get a taste of your own medicine," he continued. "Your hands stay there, or we stop and go back to the party. My hair needs to look as pristine as yours if we're going to get away with this." She nodded quickly, wriggling her hips towards him in her eagerness. 

He pushed her skirt up towards her hips and ghosted his fingers over her thighs, whisper-soft. She shivered.

"What do you want?" he whispered, his breath warm on her mound as he teased her, payback for her actions throughout the evening.

"Your… your… your mouth," she breathed. Her hips canted up, chasing his lips. 

"Here?" He left an open mouth kiss on her thigh, and then sucked until he left a mark.

"Here?" He repeated the action just underneath her hip bone.

"Or here?" He planted a long kiss directly over her clit. 

"There!" she moaned, eyes squeezed shut as he fingers fought the temptation to tangle themselves in his hair.

"You have to be quiet, Betts," he teased, licking her over her panties again.

"Jug, I need more," she whined. He was only too happy to oblige, sliding her barely there underwear down her legs, and then nipping his way back up her legs, back where she wanted him. He positioned one of her knees over his shoulder and then surrounded himself in her - her taste, her smell, her moans.

His lips attached themselves to her clit and gently sucked before giving a long, lazy lick up her center.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" she bit out in a hoarse whisper. "More, Jughead! I need more! Please!"

His tongue began tracing patterns onto her clit, motivated by the whimpers and moans that he pulled from Betty, while he slowly pushed one finger, and then two into her, thrusting in and out in tandem with his tongue.

It wasn't long until she was moaning, "Keep going! I'm close!" Her hands released the bench and wound themselves into his hair. Instantly he stopped and leaned back on his heels.

"What? No! No! I'll be good, I promise!" Betty begged, attempting to draw him back to her core.

Jughead simply smirked and stood up, taking one last swipe at her clit before handing her her panties. Even in the darkness of the storage closet, he could see that her eyes were blown with lust and her face was flushed.

"I should get back out there - we wouldn't want any reporters to get suspicious that neither of us can be found. See you in a bit, baby." He leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips and then walked out the door. 

There was a frustrated growl on the other side of the door as he shut it behind him, and he laughed softly as he took himself off to the restroom to calm himself down before he rejoined the party. Betty glared at him as he took his seat next to her. There was still a faint flush just barely noticeable on her cheeks.

"That was mean," she whispered, leaning closer. "You're lucky I love you."

"And where exactly did the two of you sneak off to just now?" Veronica asked nosily. "You both are looking rather flushed and, Jughead, your hair is a mess!"

He hastened to flatten it down, lest an over-zealous reporter see his hair and put two and two together. 

Kevin laughed hysterically and then checked his watch. "They made it to nine o'clock before they snuck off for a quickie - pay up bitches!"

Fangs, Archie and Veronica all pulled twenty dollar bills out of their wallets and handed them to Kevin begrudgingly.

"Et tut, Archie?" Jughead asked his roommate.

"Damn straight," Archie grinned back. 

Kevin pocketed his money, giving a victorious fist pump. "Now if you two could sneak off again in, say, an hour, that would be great."

But Jughead managed to keep his hands off of his girlfriend for the rest of the evening, knowing that they were already playing pretty fast and loose with their chances of keeping their relationship out of the press. He still couldn't take his eyes off of her, though, as they talked and laughed with their friends, enjoying a celebration of what they had worked so hard to accomplish on their show before they all separated for the holiday season. Archie had to nudge him to get his attention, more than once, when Jughead spaced off in the middle of their conversations, eyes locked on Betty as she danced with Veronica, or laughed with Kevin and Cheryl.

She was beautiful, as simple as that. And, while he counted himself lucky that he, and the rest of the world, got to see how amazing she looked when she was dressed and made up like she was tonight, he couldn't help but prefer the way she looked when it was just the two of them, the times only he got to see. He knew that, without a doubt, long after her dress was discarded, preferably into a heap on the floor while he properly ravaged and worshipped her body, his favorite look would be her with her hair up in a messy knot, not a drop of makeup on her face, snoring softly into his chest.

"Jug, you ok?" she asked him, interrupting his thoughts. He had been spacing off, eyes intent upon her face.

She sat down next to him, looking a bit concerned.

"Yeah, Betts," he replied fondly. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"How much I love you."

She smiled softly at him, and her fingers crept beneath the table cloth to intertwine her hand with his.

"How much longer do we need to stay?" Jug asked. He was more than ready to get Betty out of her dress, like he'd been wishing all evening, and, if he were completely honest, he was about done hobnobbing with people that he neither knew nor liked.

"Cheryl's forcing us to stay until midnight, and then we can go."

"On the dot?"

"Not one second over," she said with a smile. The song changed to a moderately paced song that he thought he remembered hearing on the radio a few weeks ago. "Come dance with me! The night will be over faster if you do." 

***

Just as Betty promised, they snuck away from the party at midnight on the dot, leaving Archie and Veronica to continue dancing the night away, and into a car with tinted windows that would drive them back to the apartments.

"Fuck, my feet are killing me," Betty moaned appreciatively, slipping out of the tall high heels she wore as she eased herself into the backseat of the car, next to Jughead. "Whoever invented these are on my hitlist."

"I think they're sexy," Jughead replied, pulling her closer to him on the seat.

"Oh, yeah?" Betty asked, quirking her eyebrow. "Just the shoes?"

"Shoes or no shoes, you, Betty Cooper, are completely irresistible, and I find you so. Fucking. Sexy." He punctuated each word with a barely there kiss along her neck, inching his way up towards her lips, which he then captured with his own. 

Betty's hands ran along his chest, lightly tracing his abs through the dress shirt he couldn't wait to get out of, kissing him hungrily, like she couldn't get enough. All of the pent up desire for her that had been simmering through the course of the evening instantly returned, and the drive to the apartment seemingly slowed to a crawl.

By the end of the ride, she had somehow ended up in his lap (or as much in his lap as she could be with a seat belt still on), and was grinding down on his achingly hard erection. 'Thank God there's a partition,' Jughead thought as the driver pulled into a downstairs parking garage in the apartment building.

It was an exercise in self control to prevent himself from fucking her right against the wall of the elevator, but that didn't mean he didn't have her pressed against the elevator as they began their journey upward, his mouth sucking wet, possessive marks into the sensitive skin of her neck. She shivered as he reached the one spot behind her ear that never failed to make her go wild. Her lips found his again as they began the trek towards his apartment door, and he found it incredibly difficult to concentrate on unlocking the door when she was unbuttoning his shirt, dragging her lips across the areas of his chest that she revealed as she did so.

He finally succeeded in unlocking the door and he pulled her into the apartment, locking the door behind him, and pushing her up against it. Her legs curled around his waist as he lifted her, pressing her into the door with his hips, and they both hissed with pleasure as his erection ground onto her clit.

"Jughead, baby, I need you!" she whined, fingers already moving towards his belt buckle.

"I wanted to go slow tonight," he groaned into her ear. He was realizing now that that was wishful thinking on his part, but she looked stunning in the dress she had been wearing, now bunched around her thighs, and she deserved to be worshipped.

"We can go slow later," she moaned, successfully undoing his belt and moving to the button and zipper of his pants. "I need you inside of me!" 

Her hand slipped into his pants and stroked at him, and he abandoned ship. "Slow later. Fuck that feels good, Betts!" Jughead shifted away from the door and moved slowly towards the door, his lips moving fervorously against hers. Her hand fell away from his pants, and instead wound this way into his hand and under the collar of his shirt, nails scraping lightly at his skin.

Dropping her onto the bed, he pushed his hand up her thigh, and paused when he realized there was no longer a barrier created by her underwear.

"You naughty little vixen," he teased, stroking up and down her clit with a single finger, the pressure just light enough that he knew it was driving her crazy. Jughead quickly rid her of her dress, delighted at the sight of a pure white, lacy bra that graced her chest, and then rid himself completely of his pants, while she tore at the buttons of his shirt, trying to undo them. Divested of their clothes, his fingers returned to her clit, teasing her with tortuously light touches.

"Someone got me worked up in the storage closet," she bit out in a late response, wiggling her hips in the hopes that he would give her more. "I need you," she repeated again, when he continued teasing her clit without any promise of more. 

"Now you know how I felt all night," he whispered seductively, not letting up. 

"Jughead, please!" Her hand tightened around him, stroking him smoothly. Without another word, he positioned himself at her entrance and slipped the tip of himself into her warmth.

"Better?" he asked, smirking even as he utilized every ounce of self control he possessed, and some that he didn't, to hold himself back, to keep from plunging into her all the way, intent on making this last as torturously long as possible for her.

Rather than answering, she tilted her hips, and he slid into her warmth another inch. His self control evaporated, and he moaned as he thrust his hips forward, burying himself inside of her with a deep moan.

It didn't matter how many times they did this together, the feeling of being one with her body would never get old. Perfect was the only word he could think of to describe how it felt when he was inside of her - it was like she was made only for him, and he only for her.

He rocked his hips slowly into hers, grasping her hands in his and sliding them above her head on the pillow. Betty let out a sensuous moan, shuddering in ecstasy. 

"Jug, faster!" she breathed, but he was determined to keep this pace - to worship her body with his slowly and reverently. Instead, he slid one hand lower and hooked her thigh over his hip, giving him access to slide even deeper into her. The other explored it's way across her now familiar body, stopping to tweak one nipple and then the other, before skimming down her hips to her clit which he stroked experimentally with a whisper soft touch. Betty about leapt out of her skin.

This time, he gave into her demands for more, moving his hips in a quicker cadence with hers while his fingers firmly circled her clit. He felt the familiar tightening in his abdomen beginning to unravel, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer.

"I'm so close!" Betty sobbed in response to his unasked question, and then suddenly, her hips were arching off the bed, and she was fluttering and tightening around him, and he let go, burying himself inside of her as her orgasm wrang his from him.

Boneless and thoroughly sated he collapsed into her, careful, as always, not to let him full weight push her into the mattress. Betty, however, wrapped her limbs around him and pulled him fully down on top of her.

"I love you," she whispered. "So much."

"I love you too, baby." He could have stayed wrapped up in her embrace for hours, but it was late and they were both tired. Pulling away reluctantly, they separated to clean up briefly and then reunited in bed, ready for sleep.

Betty was already half asleep when Jughead joined her in bed, but that didn't stop her from burrowing her head into his chest, which had become her favorite pillow.

"Goodnight, Jug,' she yawned as he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, halfway to sleep himself. "I can't wait for our Christmas together."

***

_ THEElio: I'm live at the DW's annual Christmas party, surrounded by the stars of the new hit show The Quarantine Tales, The Werewolf Diaries, and Sing. Ask your questions, and you may just find some answers. _

_ Bugheadf0rever: @THEElio what information can you give us about the cast of The Quarantine Tales? _

_ THEElio: Well @Bugheadf0rever, they all certainly seem chummy. Some more than others.  _

_ Bugheadf0rever: @THEElio, details please! _

_ THEElio: @Bugheadf0rever they say a picture is worth a thousand words. I have two, so I guess that's two thousand? _

_ Bugheadf0rever: OMG is that Betty Cooper wearing Jughead Jones' jacket? And slow dancing? Swoon! _

_ JugheadJonesL0ver: @THEELio did they seem together? _

_ THEElio: I would say most definitely. She was wearing his jacket, they were slow dancing, they seemed definitely more than just friends. And Jones butted in as soon as I tried to ask Cooper out on a date - he was definitely jealous. _

_ Ver0nicaL0dge: @THEElio that proves nothing, you asshat. Trust me, Jughead Jones has literally no reason to feel jealous of you. _

_ THEElio: @Ver0nicaL0dge Hit me up when you're done slumming it with Andrews, Lodge. I can remind you what it means to have a good time. _

_ Ver0nicaL0dge: @THEElio You are a disgusting pig. Stay out of my life. Stay out of my friends' lives. Otherwise Daddy will hear about it. Am I clear? _

_ THEElio: @Ver0nicaL0dge Crystal. _

_ Entertainment Weekly: The Quarantine Tale's "Are They or Aren't They" Couple, Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones, caught cozying up together on the dance floor at the DW Christmas Party. Click here to see exclusive photographs! _


	15. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty spend Christmas together, and hurricane Alice blows in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Christmas fluff :) Most likely no new updates until at least the new year - I've officially posted all of my previously written content, and my writing time will be limited. My husband decided to take the next two weeks off of work so we can spend time together, but having him around 24/7 really limits my writing time...
> 
> Happy holidays to you all!

"She says she's coming for New Years, whether I like it or not!" Betty fumed, slamming down her phone on the couch where Jughead had been patiently waiting for her, book in hand.

This had been the scene Jughead had walked into, a few days prior to the network Christmas party: an irate girlfriend, pacing irritatedly around the living room, shouting variations of "No, Mom, I am staying in Seattle for Christmas," and "Until you realize that what Chic did was creepy and wrong on so many levels! And until you apologize to me for what you called me!" into the phone. 

Jughead winced in sympathy. "I'm sorry, baby." Her fingers dug into her palms, and Jughead gently unfurled them, grasping her hands tightly in his. 

"You would think that she would realize that I'm not a child anymore and that she can't control me. I mean, I live on the opposite side of the country from her for fuck's sake! I have my own money - I have more money than she does! And yet, she actually had the gall to tell me 'you're lucky that I don't fly to Seattle and drag you back for Christmas with your family, Elizabeth.' She did apologize for calling me a whore, but she can't figure out why Chic watching me sleep was wrong on so many levels! And there were some very pointed comments about the 'hoodlum' that I'm choosing to spend the holiday with instead of my precious family!"

"Yeah, but I'm your hoodlum, so who cares what Alice Cooper thinks of me?" Jughead joked. Alice Cooper was still in the dark about the nature of their relationship, and while Jughead was happy to keep it that way for as long as Betty wanted, he also didn't remotely care what Alice Cooper thought of him. He would be all too happy to return the favor, and tell her  _ exactly  _ what he thought about her, and it wouldn't be pretty when they got around to that conversation, given her treatment of Betty at Thanksgiving.

"We were supposed to spend New Year's together," Betty pouted. She sat down dejectedly next to Jughead and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into the warmth of his body. She melted against him after sitting stiffly for a moment. 

"We still can spend New Year's together. Let's get Archie and Veronica and the rest of the cast over here for New Year's Eve and we can all watch the ball drop and play games and eat good food, and your Mom can meet everyone, and then you can have a buffer."

"She's going to treat you awfully," Betty said apologetically, shaking her head furiously. "She already thinks you're a hoodlum, and she resents you for taking me away for Christmas, as if it was your decision and not mine. And she doesn't know that you're my boyfriend, so she's going to hate you even more after she figures that piece out." Jughead could easily see that she was two seconds away from a full on spiral -faster than normal breathing, wide eyes, clenching fists. 

"I don't care what your mom says, Betts," Jughead replied softly. "I care what you think. Nothing else matters." He had hoped that that would be enough to convince her, but instead, Betty pushed herself off the couch and began pacing the living room again.

"But it does matter, Jug!" she cried out frustratedly.

"Ok," he said calmly. "Hey, c'mere." He joined her in standing. Betty looked down, not meeting his eyes. Gently, he grasped her chin and tilted her face up to look at him. "Look at me, Betts. What's really the matter?"

She studied his face for a moment before speaking, her emerald eyes staring deeply into his. "I'm not worth this," she mumbled, so quietly that Jughead barely heard her even though her lips were inches from his face.

"Betty." Both of his hands cradled her cheeks. "Yes you are."

"Jughead, every time she sees you, every family holiday, every birthday, you will never be good enough, because she did not hand select you for me… and she won't be afraid to let you know it."

"So? Let her," Jughead replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"What if I turn out like her?" Betty asked, even quieter than before. "You deserve so much more than that."

'Aha,' Jughead thought, finally discovering the root of the issue.

"Betty," he whispered. Tears began dripping down her cheeks, and he leaned in, kissing them away. "You are not your mother. We are not our families, ok? We both got screwed over in the parent of the year category, and yeah, it sucks, but I'm not dating you for your mom, just like you aren't dating me for my mom and dad. Ok? I like you, I love you, I want you and I want to be with you. No matter what Alice Cooper says. So we are going to have a wonderful Christmas, just the two of us, and then when Alice Cooper comes, we will make it work until she leaves, and we won't let her ruin anything, ok?"

"I'm so lucky you're mine," she whispered.

"I make no promises that I won't give her a piece of my mind at some point, though," he warned as an afterthought. 

"Oh, I know Jug. Trust me, I know." She cracked a smile.

***

"So you and Betty… you must be getting pretty serious?" Jellybean asked Jughead over Facetime one night, right before she and Sweet Pea were leaving for their Christmas vacation. "I mean, you're spending Christmas together."

The day after Betty flew home early from Thanksgiving, Jelly Bean and Betty had gone for brunch together, just the two of them, and both girls had come back smiling and laughing, with Betty gently teasing him for one stupid thing or another that he had done in his teenage years. The paparazzi had gotten wind of their brunch, snapping pictures of the two girls inside of a cute little bistro, and they had a field day with it, naturally - new rumors about a potential Bughead relationship, Bughead marriage, Bughead baby even, popped up everyday now that Betty had officially met a member of Jughead's family, but neither girl seemed to really care.

Jelly Bean had looked at Jughead very seriously after Betty left to go take a shower at her place, saying, "If you don't marry this girl someday, Jughead, I might disown you. I don't know what she sees in you, but she's a keeper. She's absolutely perfect for you." 

Sweet Pea had also given his hearty seal of approval. "Universe girl, you're alright," he told Betty as she laughed so hard at one of Sweet Pea's stories about Jug that water threatened to come out of her nose. Betty had looked at Jughead, confused by the title, but he just looked at her fondly and shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'I'll tell you later.'

"Yeah, we are," he told JB honestly. "It might be way too early to be spending the holidays together, but I honestly can't imagine spending them with anyone else, especially since you and Pea are going to be gone, and Toni is spending the day with Cheryl."

"Don't worry about anyone else's timeline," JB said wisely. "Worry about what feels right for you and Betty. You two will have enough judgement about your relationship once the press gets word of it, without you two judging yourself."

"When did you get so smart?" 

"I've always been smarter than you, big brother. Now I have to go, I have a few last minute things to get packed before our flight tomorrow. Love you bro!"

"Love you too. Call on Christmas?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

***

The minute that Archie left to spend the Christmas holidays with his mom in Chicago on Christmas Eve, Jughead made the short trek over to Betty's apartment, duffle bag in hand, knowing that Veronica had left the night before.

"Hey, you," he said, strolling into her apartment, where he saw her assembling ingredients for baking Christmas cookies on her counter. Her apartment was decidedly more festive than his, although he expected nothing less from Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper. The moment Veronica had returned from Thanksgiving, the girls had purchased a Christmas tree and spent a Saturday turning their home into a winter wonderland. Their tree sparkled in one corner of the living room, the tree that both Jughead and Betty had already put their presents under, and strings of white Christmas lights swooped from the ceiling, looking almost like stars twinkling above when the other lights were turned out.

He ducked into her bedroom to drop his bag on her floor and then retreated back to the kitchen.

"Mmm hi," she said, pulling him in by the collar of his S tshirt to give him a lingering kiss.

"Please tell me this means what I think it means." Jughead gestured at the counter covered in baking supplies. He loved Betty's cookies… not quite as much as he loved her… but pretty close.

"Yes, Jug, I'm making cookies," she smirked. "And you're going to help me. Now go wash your hands."

"Yes ma'am," he grinned.

Baking cookies was decidedly… dirtier… than he had anticipated, although Jughead figured he was mostly to blame for that. After all, it was him who had flicked flour into Betty's face when she teased him about the flour that had gotten caught in his hair, and it was also him who had dotted her nose with frosting under the guise of wiping away some powdered sugar.

Although it was Betty, naughty smirk firmly in place, who had dropped to her knees in front of him and undid his belt buckle once the cookies had been left to cool on the table, leaving him gripping the counter behind him until his knuckles were white while she wrapped her lips tightly around him, licking and sucking at him until his vision blurred. She grinned as he came with a loud groan, releasing him with a 'pop' before giving him a cheeky kiss. 

"Merry Christmas baby."

"Holy fuck, Betts. Am I dead? I think I'm dead."

"I hope not… I get you all to myself for four days, Juggie, and I have designs on your time. I don't know if we'll ever leave our bedroom. And I've heard that sex is an excellent source of stress relief, and you know how stressed I am about my mom's visit." She gave him a cheeky smile.

Jughead didn't know if Betty noticed her word choice of 'our bedroom,' but he certainly did and he had a sudden image of him and Betty this time next year in an apartment of their own. He decided he liked that thought.

"Promise?"

"Cookies first!" she grinned, brushing past him to grab the now cool cookies for them to frost. 

He caught her waist as she tried to move past him. "I don't know, Betts. I can think of even better things we can be doing right now." His lips skimmed whisper soft over her neck, and her breath hitched.

"Like what?" She was breathless and tilted her neck to give him better access. He was instantly rock hard again, like he was just about any time his girlfriend gave any indication of how he affected her - anytime he could visibly see what he, Jughead Jones, could do to her.

"I think you know," he whispered darkly. His fingers crept underneath her shirt while his lips found the spot behind her ear that always left her a gasping, shivering mess. He wasn't disappointed.

She turned to face him, her hands pushing the fabric of his shirt up, nails scraping gently at his chest before she pulled the shirt all the way off. In an instant, he had her perched on the counter, shirt flung somewhere behind him, bra not far behind. They were a mess of lips and teeth and hands that couldn't get enough as they pushed clothing away and pulled hair closer.

"Jug, touch me," she moaned as she shifted her hips closer to his, eager for him to find the ache between her thighs. She shifted her hips to help him pull off the rather skimpy cheerleading shorts she had on and then his fingers…

"Oh my god, Jug," she whimpered as he dipped two fingers inside of her. She was soaking wet and he couldn't wait any longer to be inside of her, especially not once she unzipped his pants and shoved them and his boxers down, reaching out to grip him firmly in her hand.

"More Jug!" she demanded, and so he acquiesced, teasing her entrance for a moment before he could take it no longer and buried himself in her, straight to the hilt. 

"Fuck," they both moaned. He was still for a moment, but then she squeezed him inside of her and she felt so tight and wet and he needed to be deeper. He pulled out almost entirely and then dipped back in, angling his hips to try to find that spot that he had learned drove her crazy. Her moan told him he had succeeded, and he drove his hips back to that spot with every thrust. 

She decorated his back with marks from her nails, and Jughead pressed her legs apart needing more - always more.

"Jug!" she cried out when he reached between them to tease her clit. "I'm so close!"

"Let go, baby," he encouraged, knowing he didn't have it in him to hold back much longer. He cried out and spilled into her just as she tightened on him, jerking a few times with aftershocks of his orgasm.

"Oh my God," she breathed. "I can't believe we just did that on my kitchen counter! Veronica would kill me!"

"No she wouldn't -she'd be proud," Jughead smirked. He was rather proud himself. "Besides… after all of the places I've seen her and Archie making out… I  _ know  _ that my kitchen counter has been defiled in a similar manner. We're fine. We'll just clean it well."

Once they had bleached the counter and finished baking the cookies, they found themselves curled on the couch, hot chocolate in hand,  _ White Christmas _ playing softly in the background. She was dressed in Christmas themed pajamas, and Jughead thought she looked adorable.

"Merry Christmas Jug," she whispered. Her legs were hooked over his lap, warming him in a way that no blanket could, and he pulled her closer, feeling thankful for everything that she was to him.

"Merry Christmas, Betts. I know that it's not Christmas yet, but I honestly think this is the best Christmas I've ever had."

"What was Christmas like for you?" she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder. 

He was quiet for a minute. "Lonely," he said finally. "It was the one time of the year where I wasn't with Toni and Sweet Pea because they were with their families, so I would either go to one parent or another. If I was at my dad's, chances were he was drunk and asleep or out at a bar drinking so I was usually by myself, and if I was with my mom… well, at least I had JB, but it honestly wasn't much different. Once I was a teenager, I just started staying in LA by myself and I would call JB after she'd opened her presents. Even when Sabrina and I were together, she was always more interested in going to someone's Christmas Day party instead of spending time together. I'd be surrounded by people, but it was still just so fucking lonely."

"Jug… I don't even… I'm so sorry."

"Just being here, with you, is the happiest Christmas I've ever had. I'm so glad that I'm with you right now." He pulled her toward him, onto his lap, with no intentions past just holding her close as memories of Christmas past washed over him. He buried his face in her neck, relaxing when he felt her fingers push their way through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Abruptly, he stood and crossed the room to the Christmas tree. He pulled his gift to her out from the tree and brought it back to the couch. 

Hands shaking slightly, he handed her the package he had shoddily wrapped. "Here. I want you to open this tonight. I hope you like it."

"Jughead, it came from you. It doesn't matter what it is, I know I'll love it no matter what." 

She opened the note that he had penned, attached to the front: " _ To  _ _ my  _ _ Beloved. Thanks for introducing me to your favorite book. Love, Jug." _

"Jug," she said softly, looking up at him with eyes full of love.

"Open it," he urged. She nodded and began pulling the tape from the paper and gradually smoothed the paper flat.

"Jug, you didn't!" she gasped. A signed, first edition copy of  _ Beloved  _ sat in front of her. It had taken him forever to find it, scouring bookshop after bookshop, but it was worth it when she looked at him with eyes like that.

"Do you like it?"

"Jug, I love it! I can't believe you found this! Thank you." She kissed him, unhurried and loving.

"I can't imagine how long it took you to find this!" Betty gushed, flipping through the book. "Thank you," she whispered again. Then, she set the book on the coffee table and got up, grabbing Jughead's gift. It was decidedly bigger than the book he had gotten her, and it looked heavy, based on the hold that she had on it. It was neatly wrapped, a huge leap up compared to his wrapping job, but he would expect nothing less from Betty Cooper.

"Your turn." 

He had his gift unwrapped in a decidedly shorter time than it took for her to unwrap hers, paper discarded unceremoniously on the floor. Inside was the typewriter of his dreams. "Betty! This is a Vintage Underhill!" 

"Mmhmm, I know," she said with a smirk. "I thought it might inspire your writing. Not that you need any more inspiration, your writing is already brilliant, but I…"

"Betts, I love it. Seriously."

"Good," she said, breathing out a sigh of relief. 

"Thank you. I seriously have the best girlfriend ever."

"I might have one more present for you."

"Oh, really?" Jughead glanced over to the tree, but didn't see anything else under it. "What is it?"

Betty got up, a little bit of extra sway in her hips, and crossed to the bedroom door. Her t-shirt shifted on her shoulder, and he saw a hint of something black and lacy peeking out. She glanced back over her shoulder at him and crooked her finger, beckoning him forward. "Are you coming?"

She didn't wait for a response, just continued into her bedroom, and he was behind her an instant later. He decided that she looked good in black lace… but the black lace looked ever better on her bedroom floor. 

***

Betty couldn't remember ever having a better Christmas. Typically, Christmas in the Cooper household was an extravagent affair: Alice, Polly and Betty would clean the house until it sparkled, and would cook up a number of holiday treats (most of which Betty wasn't allowed to eat because 'Betty honey, do you really think that your waistline needs one more cookie?'). The Cooper Christmas Eve party was one of the most sought after and exclusive events in town, and Alice was always in top form as she urged her daughters to present the most perfect version of themselves to their family, friends, and neighbors. Christmas Eve had always been the most stressful day of the year to Betty, a day that was filled with Alice's passive aggressive comments as Betty struggled to please her mother. Christmas Day wasn't much better - the house was often full of relatives, meaning that anything less than Cooper perfection wasn't good enough. 

This Christmas, though, Betty and Jughead contentedly cuddled into the couch together, watching Christmas movie after Christmas movie, drinking hot chocolate, and eating off of the Christmas feast that Betty had prepared for them a few days previously. She could not remember a more relaxing Christmas than this one that she had spent, just her and Jughead. The day after Christmas, Betty noticed a marked change in her anxiety levels, a change that could only be attributed to a hurricane named Alice Cooper that was due to blow into town the following afternoon. 

Betty was awake at the crack of dawn on the 26th and snuck out of bed to begin a deep clean of her apartment. Jughead tried to talk her out of it two hours later when he finally woke up - "Baby, is your mom really going to check your linen closet?" - but when he saw that there was no swaying her, he shrugged his shoulders and helped, doing his best to alleviate the nervous energy that had settled over Betty. Jughead had decided to brave the wrath of Alice Cooper and stay the rest of the week with Betty in her apartment while Archie and Veronica would take the boys' apartment once they returned from their Christmas break, leaving Alice to stay in Veronica's room for her visit.

"Are you sure that you don't want to stay at your place and not have to deal with typical Cooper house lunacy? I promise that I won't be upset. Lord knows my mother can be hard to handle, and she's going to have lots to say when she finds out that we're together and we're staying in the same room."

"Betty, I will be fine. It's your mom, not a gorgon. And you're a grown woman. You can do whatever you want. She's the one who invited herself here, so she can deal with that. She's not going to scare me away, Betts, I promise. Ok?"

At one o'clock on December 27th, the doorbell rang. Betty took a deep breath, mentally cataloguing her apartment in her brain to make sure that her mother couldn't possibly find anything to critique, and Jughead squeezed her hand encouragingly. "Four days, baby. Four days. I love you, no matter what she says." Sighing, she fixed a perfect Cooper smile on her face and opened her door. The smile fell off of her face in an instant.

"What are you doing here?" Alice was standing on her doorstep, as expected… accompanied by Chic, which was not.

"Betty, wait!" Alice cried as Betty moved to shut the door. "Let me explain."

Betty shut the door firmly, shaking in anger.

"Betty!" Alice cried on the other side. "I'm sorry, I should have asked, but I wanted at least some of my family together for the holidays. Even if Polly and the kids can't be here. You wouldn't deny me that, would you?"

"He's not welcome here! And now neither are you!" Jughead must have heard the commotion at the door, because Betty suddenly felt his comforting warmth behind her, a steady presence that she drew a quiet strength from. 

"What do I do?" she asked, desperate for advice. She was panicking and she could barely breathe, let alone think.

"Whatever you want. They're on your turf. If you want them to leave, I will call them a cab. If you want them to stay, I will be here for you and with you 100% and I'll make coffee. I support whatever decision you make."

"Betty? Please?" Alice's voice was much more subdued and shaky, permeated by occasional sniffs.

Betty squared her shoulders and opened the door. Alice was leaving against the opposite wall, sobbing, while Chic sat there, watching helplessly. "Explain yourself."

"I know that I'm wrong to just show up with Chic. I'm not blind, Betty. I know that he's odd. And he knows what he did was out of line and he will be apologizing for it…" Chic had the decency to look ashamed of himself, "... but he's part of our family. And I just wanted my family together at Christmas. Polly isn't spending much time now that she met someone and you're across the country and I just… I miss my babies." 

Betty's heart softened at her mother's explanation.

Alice looked away from Betty, towards her son. "Chic, tell Betty what you wanted to say."

Betty looked at her brother, eyes full of ice.

"I'm sorry Betty," Chic pleaded softly. "What I did was wrong and a violation of your privacy. I won't do it again."

"If you want us to leave, we will," Alice whispered. "But I would really like to stay and hear about your life here."

Betty sighed. She could feel Jughead's steady warmth behind her and she made a decision. "Come in… both of you."

Alice's eyes lit up and she quickly stood, pushing her suitcase into the apartment.

"I'm doing this for Mom," Betty hissed at her brother. "Not for you. If you put one foot out of line, you are out, is that understood? I will ask Jughead to take you to the airport, and trust me, you do not want to be left alone with him after the shit you pulled last time. Is that clear?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Betty caught the threatening look that Jughead was giving Chic, who looked properly terrified as he nodded.

"We're going to have such a nice time together, Betty. You, and me, and Chic and…" Alice's eyes met Jughead for the first time. "Jug Head." She said his name like it was a dirty word, breaking it into two distinct words instead of one, and Betty couldn't help but wince. In an instant, Alice was back to her usual, critical self - only her slightly red and swollen eyes were evidence that she had been upset only moments ago.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cooper," Jughead said politely, holding out his hand to shake hers. Alice eyed it apprehensively but didn't take it - she just stared at him for a moment before turning back to Betty.

"Betty, it was nice to meet your friend, but wouldn't it be nice for us to spend some Cooper family time together?" Betty read between the lines and picked up on what Alice was too polite to say to Jughead's face, although even Alice could see she had done a poor job of making her distaste for Jughead.

"Actually, Mom, Jughead is going to be staying here this weekend."

"But where will Chic and I be staying? Doesn't he have his own apartment?"

"He is going to be staying in my room. With me. You are in Veronica's room, and I guess Chic can have the couch, since he wasn't supposed to be here in the first place." Betty bit out the last statement.

"Why is this boy staying with you in your room Elizabeth? Friends with benefits with your costar, isn't that a bit inappropriate and cliche?"

"Mom, don't start," Betty warned dangerously. 

"Well, I'm sorry Elizabeth, but I'm just not sure what  _ this boy _ is doing here. We're having Cooper family time. Surely he'll be bored! I'm just looking out for him. Besides, he has no reason to be here."

"Actually, Mom, he does. Jughead is my boyfriend," Betty said, wrapping her arm around his waist. He gave her a soft smile, his fingers stroking her hip bone soothingly.

"I see. And this happened when, exactly? I'm assuming it's not recent since you two are apparently living in sin together."

"Mom, don't start. We aren't living in sin. We decided we wanted to spend Christmas together based on how Thanksgiving went." Betty cast a side glance at Chic, and he had the decency to look away, ashamed. "And no, it's not recent. We've been together since the end of August. Friends for longer."

"I see," Alice said again. "And you weren't planning on telling me, your own mother?"

"Oh, leave her alone, Mom " Chic butted in. "She's telling you now. Leave it alone." The words he said sounded well meaning, but something about then set Betty on edge. He had an almost conniving look about him.

"Thank you, Chic," Betty bit out. "We've kept it a secret from almost everyone. Most of our friends here didn't know until about a month ago, and we are trying to keep it out of the media. So please,  _ please,  _ for the love of God, just leave it alone."

"Fine, fine, I'm leaving it alone," Alice sighed. She was letting it go for now, but Betty knew this wouldn't be the end of it. "Now Betty, it's rude to let guests linger at the door. Which room am I staying in? And then I would like a cup of coffee. You know how I take it. But skim milk… although I'm not sure if you have it. You won't lose that holiday weight, Elizabeth, with cream in your coffee every morning."

Jughead let out a disgruntled grunt and opened his mouth to say something, but Betty quickly shook her head.

"Oh course, Mom. This way. Chic, I guess you can put your stuff in here and then you'll stay on the couch."


End file.
